What Lies Beneath
by cdaye8184
Summary: Damon was sentenced to life as a Demon many years ago and only love with break the curse but he only has a limited amount of time. Can Elena Gilbert help him find his humanity? *Based loosely on Beauty and The Beast* A story co-written by Cdaye8184 and LiveBreatheVampire
1. Prologue

**What Lies Beneath**

**Prologue. **

* * *

There was a man- an impossibly gorgeous looking young man. Tall, lean and muscular, the features of a prince charming. His eyes were as blue as the ocean-so blue, people would find themselves getting lost from just a single glance. His hair was unruly all the time, jet black and extremely alluring. But the perfection stopped there. You cannot judge a book by its cover and that saying couldn't be any truer with regards to the wild Damon Salvatore.

He had everything, that looks, the money, the attention, and the women- just not love. "Love doesn't exist," He would say. "It's just an illusion," And that was exactly what he'd thought so he never looked for love. Because his life started in the mid 1800's; it was only known and common for parents to arrange their children's marriage. Damon refused to each and every lady his father arranged for him and eventually he stopped trying. Damon remained a bachelor at twenty-eight and from anybody else's perspective, it didn't seem like that was going to change anytime soon. He would spend countless hours at the local tavern drinking whiskey, preferably bourbon- his trademark drink. He would drink himself to oblivion, picking up a local wild girl that wanted to disobey her parents here and there-in the process, dragging her to the boarding house and seducing her in his chambers. Nobody would dare try and stop him.

He did that for years and people became use to it. His father ignored him because he didn't know what to do anymore; girls adored him; the other bachelors of mystic falls hated him. He loved his life until one dreary-foggy night.

He was walking alone, drunk-of course; heading home from the tavern without a lady as surprising as that was. He kept walking; well staggering on the side of the road and just before he got to the boarding house; he saw a shadow of a person. He kept walking, his drunken state not acknowledging how creepy it seemed.

"Hello, Damon." The voice purred into the darkness, echoing off the fog.

"Who are you?" Damon slurred intrigued. The voice belonged to a lady. Perhaps he wouldn't be going home alone after all.

"My name is Sheila Bennett." She responded as she stepped out of the fog. She was older than Damon but still young; probably somewhere in her early thirties. "I am a witch, Damon."

"A witch in my bed, surely." A lopsided smirk appeared on his perfect face.

"You're too cunning, ." Sheila said but there was no trace of amusement in her voice. In fact, it dripped with iciness and Damon shivered but not from the cool crisp air.

"I have been watching you, Damon." Sheila took a step toward him and he found himself involuntary stepping back. She was being creepy.

"Of course you have." He told her cockily. "But if you would excuse me, I have to return to my lovely abode." The alcohol made him extremely sarcastic. He attempted to walk past Sheila but she grabbed his arm and when she let him loose, he found himself unable to move -immotile.

"I cannot move," Damon exclaimed in fear. "What have you done?"

"You are going to listen to me one way or another," Sheila said calmly. "Life as you know it is going to change for you tonight, Damon."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He was still trying to move-desperately trying and failing miserably.

"You have been a horrible man, Damon," Sheila whispered, her curly black hair blowing in the wind. "You have toyed with people-you have shamed and disobeyed your family. You are no input to society."

"You don't know anything about me." He spat.

"I know more than you think." She replied. "And honestly, you do not deserve to live the way you have been - luxurious, care free - a bachelor at this age. "It stops tonight, Damon."

"You really think I am going to listen to you?" He asked; his drunken state unable to ask anything else because he was still trying to free himself as well as process her words.

"No, but after tonight ... you will have no choice." Sheila's eyes looked up into the sky and she began mumbling something Damon could not process. Something of another language... perhaps Latin?

"What are you saying? " Damon asked wearily but there was no response. Sheila remained chanting and the wind around them picked up-the fall leaves circling around them. Damon was getting dizzier by the second and he felt bile rise in his throat. But just as he thought the contents of his stomach were going to leave his body-the wind stopped.

"What just happened?" He asked nauseously.

"I did what I had to do, Damon." The 'witch' told him. "You deserve this. You need this to change and this is my way of doing so."

"I do not understand." Damon muttered. "You are not answering me".

"You will see in the morning, Damon Salvatore." She informed him. "But for now I need you to remember something. So listen closely: you will remain this way for as long as it takes. You will not age-you will not change until you free yourself. You will not die -you cannot die so I would advise you not to even try." Damon grew more and more confused with each passing word. Will not die? Will not age? She was being rediculous. "You need to find somebody to love you-somebody to change you for the better. But this deal is not timeless. I will give you until the year two thousand and ten". A grin appeared across her dark face. "It may take that long for somebody to love you. For now, Damon, I hid you adieu. We will meet again when the time is right," and with that, Sheila disappeared into the night, leaving a pale, drunk and mortified Damon.

But what did the crazy lady know? Surely she was just toying with him. He could not recognize her but perhaps he had broken her heart before and she was back for revenge. That had to be it. Damon thought nothing of the wind or the woman named Sheila. After all, he was Damon Salvatore.

* * *

Hey all. :) This is a co-story by myself and my amazing friend Amy, (LiveBreatheVampire). We're really excited about this and we hope you are too. Tell us what you think, much love xoxox.


	2. Chapter 1

**What Lies Beneath**

**Chapter one.**

Elena could feel Klaus Mikaelson's eyes on her as she stepped out of her house into the warm, summer afternoon. That man simply didn't give up, and frankly; she was getting sick and tired of being disturbed by him every single day.

"Good morning, princess." Klaus greeted her, taking off his hat and doing a fake bow—like he did every morning unfortunately.

"Good morning." She said shortly, trying to be polite anyway despite how irritating he was.

"And where is the beautiful lady going?" He asked, curiously. Elena restrained herself from rolling her eyes.

At that, Elena scoffed. She didn't need to tell him where she was going nor would she. Klaus had wanted her for months now, but she knew full well that the only reason he wanted her was because she was a challenge. Klaus was used to having his own way—having every woman swoon over him and then feeling satisfied when he succeeding in breaking their hearts. But Elena had rejected him from the very first time he had asked her to go out with him. She wouldn't date a man who treated women like possessions—like pastimes. She knew, however; that this only made Klaus want her even more because he was used to getting women whenever and wherever he wanted—under him—screaming his name in the throes of passion.

He made no effort to hide the lust in his eyes as the blue orbs trailed her body with immense gazes, almost undressing her with his eyes. Elena noticed what he was up to and tried her best to shrug it off and ignore him; he meant nothing to her but she could see why he couldn't take his eyes off her. She had dressed up more than usual for the special occasion she was _forced_ to attend. She was wearing a mini black dress which hugged her features—accentuating her petite waist and hourglass figure. She could only imagine the things that were going through Klaus's mind but she smirked. That was the closest he was going to ever be to getting her.

"That would be none of your business, Mr. Mikaelson." She answered quietly and icily; not daring to look at him.

His smirk faltered a little at his words but he continued to reach out and stroke her cheek; causing her to shudder in disgust from the contact. "Don't you think we're way past the formalities, _Miss Gilbert__?"_

She slapped his hand away and stared daggers at him. "Goodbye, Klaus."

* * *

By the time that she reached her car, her blood was boiling in her veins. He never failed to upset her—to make her furious. Who did he think he was? Sure, he was handsome with his British accent that made every girl swoon. But what wise girl would want a man who had slept with half the town, and toyed with so many hearts? It wasn't a secret in this town. Although every woman knew what he was like, they still basically lined up at his feet; waiting for their chance to date him and to get their heart broken. They knew it was coming. That's why Elena couldn't understand why so many people wanted him. _Oh well._ She thought. _Not me. I'm not going to be fools like the rest of them…_

* * *

She was half way to the party Caroline had made her attend when she heard a strange noise along with the sound of rain. First came a put and then came a clank and then everything shut off in her car and it started to slow all on its own; leaving Elena no choice but to pull over on the side of the road with the little time she had left to do so.

Sighing in frustration, Elena bit back a profanity. She had told Caroline that she did not want to go to that stupid part a thousand times and yet the nagging blonde somehow convinced her to go. After her parents' and her younger brother's deaths a few months before, she had locked herself in her house. Being eighteen, she got to keep the house thanks to her parents' life insurance and she didn't even require a legal guardian but the silence and pain left behind in that house was sometimes intolerable and that was the main reason Elena had agreed to go to this stupid party; to get out of that dreary house for once and enjoy herself.

_Just perfect. _She thought. _Now I'm stuck in the middle of __fucking__ nowhere._ She tugged her chocolate brown hair behind her ears as she tried desperately to see what was wrong with her car. It was an old corolla. Her parents gave it to her for her sixteenth birthday and although it was old and second hand at the time; she loved it. Now it was even older and with little money to spend on stuff like this; Elena hadn't even given the car a check-up since her parent's death.

"I had it coming, I guess." She muttered aloud. "Fuck." She knew nothing about cars, it wasn't starting. It wasn't doing anything. She was stuck. Her best and only guess was that her battery died. She had no tools or experience in this type of situation. The rain had started to pour harder, making the ground muddy and that was the last thing Elena needed.

Looking around, she panicked when she noticed there were no houses or buildings where she could get help. As far as she could see, there was just road and forest. There were no pedestrians walking by, not even a single car had passed yet.

_My cell phone,_ she thought retrieving her phone from her purse and attempting to dial Caroline's number. But after a few tries, Elena realized that there was no reception.

"Shit." She hissed underneath her breathe. "This is just perfect." She realized the only way to get some help was to try and walk back to civilization.

Trying to shield as much of her head as possible as she could with just her hands; Elena opened the trunk and pulled out an emergency umbrella; which was being used for the first time.

"You can never be too sure" Elena mumbled to herself as she opened it and started to walk what she assumed, was north in hope to find at least one farm—house—gas station, that could offer her assistance.

The place she was in was beautiful, and the surroundings were breathtaking. The evergreens were true to their name; offering an amazing view for Elena. They were greener than she remembered them to be and the flowers looked even more colorful with the wet little droplets cascading on and off of them.

The peace she was feeling abruptly came to a halt when she saw a huge mansion which seemed abandoned. She heard about this place—miles out from Mystic Falls—an old boarding house. She felt thickness in the air and something unusual in her stomach as she inspected the gardens that surrounded it. Nearly all of the flowers were wilted and drooping; showing no sign of life or residency. Elena scoffed and muttered, _you would think the person living here could at least let the garden live. _And if it weren't for the dim light reflecting out of a single window somewhere upstairs in the house, she wouldn't have thought that somebody resided there. Who would want to live in a place that seemed so big and full yet so damn empty? It made no sense… There was no use having a beautiful house if it meant that there wasn't any pleasant about it.

Taking a deep breath, Elena knocked on the door uneasily but patiently, and for some reason, feeling rather embarrassed.

"I hope to God somebody is here…" Elena muttered under her breath. It seemed she had been waiting in front of the door forever know but she was unwilling to leave. This was perhaps the only building within miles and her hopes were high after regarding the light from the window.

"Yes?" A slightly weak and low voice asked all of a sudden, snapping Elena out of her reverie. The woman before her was a little older, possibly in her early forties. She was tall, very thin, and her dark hair contrasted her inhumanly pale skin. Elena found herself focusing on the woman's neck. It was covered with a simple cloth, just a plain rag..

"I'm so sorry to disturb you." Elena said politely. "But I've been having some car troubles. I don't know the slightest thing about vehicles and my old car has left me stranded on the side of the road a couple miles back. I was hoping to find somebody that would let me use their telephone."

"I'd like to help you miss." The lady whispered—as if she didn't want anyone to hear their conversation. "But this isn't my house. I'm just the housekeeper."

It was then Elena noticed a sign above the door that read 'Casa Salvatore'.

"I understand." Elena nodded disappointed, "We wouldn't want to disturb the owner…"

"There are other houses down the road if you keep going north." The housekeeper added very quickly. "Probably thirty minutes walk away. They can help you there, I promise. I'd be in your best interest not to stay here any longer… you know, you want to get there as quickly as you can… I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help."

"I understand." Elena nodded once again, thankful for her help despite her secrecy and bad hospitality. Why was this woman so frightened and on edge? She seemed to want Elena to leave as quickly as possible, it was odd.

She started to close the door and Elena was turning around when she noticed a hand stop the woman from closing the door; and began opening it. Elena then heard a man's angry voice roar. "Pearl! That isn't the right way to be treating our guests now, is it? Scaring them off like that… I think we should let the lady use our telephone." _Oh thank God._ Elena thought. _I don't think I'd make walking another half hour in this down pour. _

The door began opening once again and Elena was jumping with joy inside. "Thank you so much…" She found herself trailing off when she came face-to-face with the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen. Her breathe caught in her throat at the sight of the man before her. He was devilishly handsome—jet black hair, perfectly sculpted features. But there was something off about him that made Elena's gut instinct telling her not to go in. There was something about his eyes… they were an ice blue—so cold.

With the door only half open and the owner's head simply peeking around the door, Elena found herself mesmerized by his impossible beauty. She cleared her throat when she noticed the lopsided smirk that he had been wearing to begin to transform into a large smile.

"It's all my pleasure, kitten." The man purred freezing Elena right on the spot. His grin revealed his perfect pearly white teeth but that isn't what terrified Elena. Protruding out of his gums where his canines were supposed to be—were two extremely long and pointy fangs. She glanced back to his eyes and didn't regard it before but now she noticed a pulsating underneath them. Pale blue and black veins slithered ever so slightly; like a snake. She was almost positive that her mouth was gaped open and her eyes were as wide as could be. She felt her heart quicken, sending the blood through her body as a scarily rapid pace.

She shook her head, trying to collect herself and calm her breathing. "Sir, I wouldn't want to intrude. It's fine, really. What's another thirty minutes? I'll best be on my way—"She attempted to turn around but a firm hand latched onto her wrist, hurting her tiny arm.

"It's no trouble." He hissed. "Please. Come in, use my telephone." Elena felt a tug on her wrist and found herself getting pulled toward the door's opening.

"N-no." Elena stammered. "It's okay." She tried to pull away but his grip tightened on her continuing to pull her toward him.

"Don't be afraid" He smirked. His eyes had found control and his fangs were hidden behind his lips. Elena felt a little better now but she still didn't want to enter his house—not after seeing whatever that was and seeing how frightened the lady named Pearl seemed. What and who did this man think he was? That was _no_ way at all to treat your housekeeper.

"Please." Elena begged. "Let me go." But her plea was no use. She found herself getting tugged even harder, crossing the threshold into the darkness.

**A/N: Me and Amy(LiveBreatheVampire) think this chapter turned out well. We'd like to thank each and every one of you who reviewed and alerted/favoured this story. I haven't been able to thank each of you personally yet because I'm on holiday and don't have much time but I promise I will. **

**We're having so much fun writing this and we hope you're having fun reading. Tell us what you think, feedback is love! xox  
**


	3. Chapter 2

**What Lies Beneath**

**Chapter two. **

The man had her in a bone crushing grip, and Elena let out a scream when he showed her his fangs again. What kind of a monster was this man? Elena fought against his vice-like grip, but he threw her on the floor, hard and her head received the impact.

"Two women asking for my phone in a matter of hours," The man said, pleased as he shook his head in amusement. "This must be my lucky day." He gestured to the unconscious woman on the couch, and Elena bit back another scream when she recognized her friend, Caroline-the one who had dragged her out of town. Looks like she didn't make it to the party either...

"Oh God! What did you do to her?" Elena tried to run to help her, but the monster pushed her with all his strength, sending her flying across the room. Elena was beyond frightened by now. First his features, then him forcing her into his home and now this. "Please, she needs help!" She begged, trying to find anything that would make him human. She found nothing but emptiness in his cold eyes. There were no traces of sympathy or understand just iciness. However, he was smirking, like he was pondering the idea.

"I can heal her, you know," He smirked, "It would just take a few drops of my blood, nothing more."

"Please, help her…" He didn't explain how his blood would help Caroline and frankly, if Elena was in her right state of mind she would have freaked out over what he just said but right now she was just petrified about Caroline's state.

"No, girl, my blood has a price." He held out his hand making a 'tsk' noise as he waved his fingers back and forth in Elena's face.

Elena looked at him, shocked. "You can't leave her like this! Please, she's in pain!"

"Tsk, tsk, Elena, do you want to hear my deal or not?" He deadpanned.

Elena nodded her head, surrendering. She was willing to do whatever it took to save Caroline no matter how annoying she could be sometimes. But that didn't matter, Caroline was her best friend, and if there was anything she could do to save her, she wasn't going to hold back.

"I will heal your friend, and because I'm feeling generous today, I will also let her go. However, in return, you must stay here with me. You'll be mine, and I expect you to do what I ask of you." He said it so simply, as if he were only asking a simple favor. This was by no means a simple favor and it caught Elena off guard.

"You sick bastard!" Elena screamed, "I would never accept this kind of deal!"

"Then you're just going to have to see your friend die," He shrugged like it was no big deal, before moving towards the couch and taking Caroline's head in his arms. He stroked her blonde hair. "Such a shame, she's pretty."

"No! Wait!" Elena screamed with tears in her eyes, and the monster turned to face her. "I'll accept the deal," She whimpered, unable to look at the face of this man-monster... whatever he was. "Just please, let her go."

"Wise choice," The man laughed, and he took Caroline in his arms and after biting his own wrist, he forced it down her throat. Elena could not understand how he was able to do this, but she didn't want to, either. This monster was terrifying and sick and she was frightened.

His words "I'll expect you to do what I ask of you" repeated in her head. What could they possibly mean? He wouldn't force her to have sex with him, would he? A shiver ran up and down her spine as she thought of him being some sort of twisted Dominant or rapist. Or worse.

* * *

She was relieved to see some colour return to her friend's cheeks, but her heart ached when the monster hauled her best friend upwards and bore his eyes to hers. She couldn't see what he was doing, or hear what he was saying, but Caroline bolted out the door without looking back.

Elena fell on the floor, crying.

It didn't seem to effect the cold-hearted man, though, because he hauled her upwards and basically pushed her into a dark room.

A basement...

* * *

"Miss?" A voice was asking, and when Elena opened her eyes, she saw a girl about two years younger than her. She was petrified to know who it was although her voice was gentle, a lot like the woman named Pearl.

"Who are you?" She found herself asking. Come to think of it, she looked like the woman named Pearl. Long dark hair, narrow eyes-a pretty young girl.

"I'm Anna, Miss," The girl said. "Master Damon ordered me to bring you this." She handed Elena a bottle of water. "He also told me that you are required to eat dinner with him in an hour, therefore, you can shower and wear these clothes if you like." Anna placed the clothes in Elena's arms. She stared down at them as if they were cockroaches.

"I'm not going to eat with him, Anna." Elena deadpanned.

"I'm afraid you have to. Otherwise he'll be very mad." Anna whispered and Elena could almost swear she saw a hint of something appear in the maid's eyes. Sympathy maybe.

"What does he do when he's mad?" Elena found herself asking but not really sure she wanted the answer.

"You do not want to know, Miss," Anna said frightened."Please, miss. These dresses are fine clothing, and dinner here is divine."

"I do not want to face the person who put me in this position." Elena said to Anna a little harshly; that poor girl had nothing to do with his kidnapping. She automatically felt bad.

"It's your choice, Miss." Anna said, "But please think about it again." The girl left, leaving the door open.

It was barely ten minutes later when the monster blurred through that door, settling in front of Elena. "I hear you refuse to join me,"He growled. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Elena said, determined. She wasn't going to let him know she was afraid of him. She was going to stand her ground and not back down.

"I don't know if you already forgot, girl, but I told you that you have to do what I ask of you."

"I'm not hungry." Elena answered back a little too quickly but at least it was the truth. He acting this way completely ruined her appetite.

"Oh yes you are," He grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall. "You do not disobey me."

"You might be keeping me here, but you don't own me!" Elena yelled, infuriated.

"You are mine," Damon spat, "And that happens to be a different sentence for 'I own you.' I can think of a hundred ways to make you agreeable, don't make me try them because you won't like them."

Elena gasped in shock at his cold threats, and shrunk under his dark glare. "I'll join you for dinner." She said finally.

"What did you say? I didn't hear you." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I said I'll join you for dinner." She muttered once again.

He reached out to softly trail her cheek. "Good girl."Smirking, he turned on his heels and walked out of the basement leaving Elena alone with her thoughts. Once she was completely sure nobody would interrupt her; she broke down.

* * *

"Master, I don't think you should act this way." Pearl said while fixing dinner. Damon had entered the kitchen to see what she was preparing. He wanted it to be perfect for Elena. It's the least he could do for treating her that way. Besides, if this girl was by any means the last way to break his curse, he needed her healthy. Starving her, although it was very appealing because he had started to hate her guts, wasn't going to do any of them any good.

"You are in no position to tell me what to be doing." Damon spat, fury surging up in his features.

"No master, I do not mean to offend you." Pearl replied quickly. "It's just... you don't have much time left and I know you know that." She turned away from Damon, not wanting to face him while she spoke of this. "You and I both know why you're keeping her here and this young woman's basically your last chance."

"I know that." Damon hissed but then sighed when the words actually sank in. "I'm trying to do my best but I can't help it! I snap."

"You have to let the man in you come through, Damon." Pearl advised, turning to face him again. Because she and her daughter had been here with Damon for nearly all Anna's life she felt for him, she knew how empty he was. He was all alone and this was his only chance at getting his life back. "This is your final shot. Let that sink in. You're stuck this way the second this year amends."

"I know that." Damon repeated. "I'm going to try, Pearl. I really am. She sees the monster-the one who kidnapped her with no remorse. First impressions are always the most important, I can't change the way she looks at me."

"No but you can change her opinion of you." Pearl offered. "You should go and get ready for dinner. Think of what you're going to say to her, how you're going to act. If you scare her, it will be worse for both of you."

"I haven't fed in a while." Damon explained as he glanced at her cloth. "I need a drink."

"Of course." Pearl immediately stopped preparing the food and walked over to Damon, exposing her neck. He inhaled slowly, savouring the aroma of her sweet blood before drinking the delicious, crimson liquid.

He left without thanking her, heading up toward his old chamber rooms, the place where nobody but him went. What was he going to wear? How was he going to act? What was he going to say? He had to remain calm-collect-cool. He had to be extra careful not to lose it or say the wrong thing. One false move and he could blow it although he thought that ship had already sailed. She hated him. There was no secret in that. And he didn't blame her. But this was the only way to break this curse. He couldn't remain doomed like this forever. And the opportunity came so he took it.

He could have used that blonde, Caroline was it? But she was too... lacking. When Caroline knocked on his door asking him to use her phone so that she could call her friend, he had tried to be gentle. Then, he had accidentally let his fangs elongate at the smell of new humans inside his house, and the girl had tried to ran off screaming like a banshee. That was the reason why he knocked her out. He was just going to apologize and try to keep her there, but then Elena appeared, and he found her way more appealing than Caroline. Elena was everything that described perfection. She had the beauty, she was kind, gentle, stubborn, and caring. She didn't deserve to be put in this situation-to be used as Damon's lifesaver but he had no choice and maybe... just maybe, she could be the one person who would look at him the way he had dreamed somebody would. The real Damon was somewhere. It was deep, deep down and even Damon didn't believe he was in there but he was, and somehow; that Damon needed to come out... and fast.

Almost soundlessly, Damon went back to the basement and glanced at her through the iron bars. She couldn't see him, because it was very dark now, but he could see her very clearly with his vampire vision. She was sobbing, and her back was towards him. She was probably afraid of what was going to happen to her and Damon felt guilt washing over him like a tsunami. He wanted to explain a few things to her, maybe assure her that he wouldn't hurt her, that she'll be comfortable in this house with him. He also wanted to tell her that he had no intention of keeping her locked up in the basement; in fact, he wanted to tell her that he already had Anna preparing one of the biggest guestrooms available in his boarding house. But he couldn't, because he was afraid that if he tells her these things, he'll become sappy. He hated sappy, but apparently, he had to be at the very least, sweet in order to get her to love him. It was very selfish, but he needed her to love him. He couldn't stay like this forever.

He hated being in this position. He knew that he couldn't love. Even if she did fall in love with him, would he really want to fall in love with her? It would make him weak, but it would be the only thing to make him human again. But he was selfish; the idea of sharing everything with someone else and the idea to please someone else were bitter to him. But who was he kidding? She wouldn't fall in love with him... not with him acting like this. Sure he could play the sweet card for a while if he really wanted but for how long? He'd eventually snap, he knew it. It always did. As much as he wanted to change; he just couldn't. After all, he had spent the last hundred plus years trying to change all by himself without the help of a woman and it didn't turn out too well obviously.

He sighed and returned back to his room, where he picked out a clothing item he hadn't used in a very long time: A black suit. He just hoped that at least, she wouldn't attempt to look away from him in disgust during dinner.

Was it really a big thing to ask for?

* * *

Caroline had driven back to Mystic Falls, as quick as her little ford focus could take her. She was scared out of her wits, shaking like a leaf. It was surprising how she had managed to remain on the road after how shaky her hands were. She couldn't understand it... The man had looked at her, widened his eyes and said 'you will not remember this. You will return to where you live and act as if this had never happened. Do not worry about your friend, she's fine." What was that supposed to mean? Not remember, of course she was going to fucking remember and she was going to let everybody know just where Elena was. Little did Damon know, vervain was in Mystic Falls' water system so obviously, his compulsion method had failed. He didn't know this; he wouldn't expect what was yet to come.

Caroline didn't know where to go to first, the sheriff station to tell her mom or the Grill-which was the first building entering Mystic Falls. She quickly decided on The Grill knowing that anybody could be there at this time in the evening; she would head to the station next.

Slamming her door, she barged into The Grill, all eyes on her wondering what the commotion was about. She looked around noticing the people. Matt, her ex and the bartender, Klaus and his clan of women. And a bunch of older people spread out at the bar and playing pool. Klaus locked eyes with her and noticing her distress; he excused himself from his arm candy and made his way through the crowd over to the frightened blonde. "Hey blondie."

"Shut up, Klaus." She hissed.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" He laughed, shaking his head. "How about you join me for a drink." He raised his eyebrows and wiggled them suggestively.

"Fuck off." Caroline blurted. "Now is not the time for your whorish behaviour. Elena's in trouble."

"What?" He asked, his jaw dropping and clenching at once. "What the hell do you mean?"

"Do you know that old boarding house about twenty miles outside of town?" She asked, goose bumps erupting over her body as she remembered.

"Yeah?" He replied, waiting for her to explain. "It belongs to the Salvatore family, it's been empty for years."

Caroline furrowed her brows in confusion. "No, someone lives there! I was on a way to a party... Elena was as well. Only she went in her car and left later than me. My car ran out of fuel because I'm an idiot and didn't fuel up. I walked to the nearest house which was the boarding house and this man... captured me. Elena came along a couple hours later, I don't know why or how she got there but she did and he took her in as well. I don't know why but he let me know in exchange for her. You've got to do something, Elijah! I haven't told anybody else yet but you've got to do something!" Caroline repeated, not knowing what to do. She didn't want the first people to know about Elena's where abouts to be Klaus Mikaelson but he was the first person she came across and Caroline knew of Klaus's little obsession with Elena the past couple months.

"Caroline, you seem drunk. That house has been empty for years. Come on, join me. I'll buy you a drink. Vodka? I know it's your favorite." He wiggled his eyebrows again.

"You're not listening to me, Klaus. I'm telling you the truth!" Caroline squealed, her voice raising two or three octaves.

"And I'm saying that this is impossible. Here, drink up. It'll feel better soon." He laughed, shaking his head. She was _not _crazy.

* * *

Elena rummaged through the clothes Anna brought her. Her jaw almost dropped at the sight. She had never seen clothing which was more beautiful than the dresses she was holding right at that very moment. There was one red dress which was trimmed with black lace, and it seemed expensive. Who was this man? Some sort of warlock from the past? The clothes reminded her of the very beautiful Victorian Era.

But no, she thought stubbornly, she wasn't going to eat with him despite what she said earlier. She wasn't going to bend down to his will. No way.

* * *

**AN: Thanks everybody who reviewed, we're getting good response for that story :) **

**Here's chapter two, you're lucky to get it because I'm currently in a hotel in Aspen hehe ;) **

**Lots of love from Amy(LiveBreatheVampire) and I xoxox**

**Reviews are love :) **


	4. Chapter 3

_What lies Beneath_

_Chapter three._

* * *

Damon walked impatiently across the room. Pearl had set up the table beautifully and a vase of flowers was in the middle along with a few candles. Dinner smelled divine and he was sure that Elena was hungry, or at least, thirsty. She had to be-there was no other way around it. But he had been waiting for her at least for five minutes, and he wasn't used to waiting. He was Damon Salvatore, for Christ's sake, he was supposed to have women kneel in front of him, offering themselves to him, plead for his forgiveness. He wasn't supposed to wait for a girl-It was completely unacceptable!

"She'll come, Master," Anna tried to tell him, but she was silenced by his death glare. He was downing his third glass of scotch, and Anna was now afraid that he'd end up hurting and frightening the poor girl. She knew that Damon had to remain collected to win her. Frightening the shit right out of her wasn't going to win him any points. And even though Anna wanted Damon to break his curse because she'd also be free from his compulsion and she could go out and do whatever she liked, she also wanted him to break the curse because she still believed that the real Damon was there somewhere, buried deep after layers and layers of soul. That Damon surfaced every now and again, she liked Damon best that way. Also, she wanted Elena to be happy. Elena was just a girl like her, and she didn't deserve to be hurt or put in any kind of misery.

"Pearl!" He barked, and the housekeeper was in front of him, her head bowed down dutifully.

"Yes, Master?"

"Go and bring the girl down," He ordered.

"Master, give her a few seconds, maybe she's still preparing herself," Pearl tried to suggest. "Don't use force with her, you'll end up scaring her away."

Damon thought for a second, before nodding his head seeing that she had a good point. "Very well then," He scoffed.

* * *

**15 minutes later**

"That's it," He snapped, "If she won't come down, I'll have to bring her myself." For the majority of the time he had been waiting he'd been pacing but for the last little while he had been sat back in his large lounge chair. He jumped up and shot the glass of scotch he had been carrying into the fireplace right in front of the chair; shattering the crystal tumbler into a million pieces.

He basically flew to the first floor and kicked the door open in fury. He could feel his blood boil when he saw Elena staring in the guest room on a bed, staring blankly at the wall, still not dressed properly for the 'occasion'.

"What are you doing here? You should've been ready by now!" Damon yelled in rage.

"I'm not hungry. I'm not coming."She blatantly started, not even glancing at him.

"Oh yes you are!" Damon blurred and grabbed her by her arm in rage. "You do not disobey me, girl!"

She tried to resist, but he only tightened his grip on her arm before he was basically dragging her behind him to the dining room.

He forced her on a chair roughly and he went to sit on the opposite side of the table without another word. When Pearl served them their first course, Elena just stared at it as she rubbed her arm, tears escaping her eyes as she looked at Damon in fear.

He felt guilt bite him like a rabid dog when he saw her rubbing her arm and saw the fear in her eyes. Did he really use that much strength on her that he actually hurt her? It wasn't really his intention.

"Eat," He ordered her, but in a very soft voice.

She shook her head 'no' stubbornly. This monster might have forced her to sit around the same table with him, but she'd never eat with him, she'd rather die of hunger. She wasn't going to bow down to his will; he had to learn that people weren't to be treated like crap.

He sat there, stunned by her stubbornness. No one had ever challenged him before, not even his friends when he was human. And then suddenly this naïve mortal comes in and she was already challenging him, making him mad with anger and frustration.

"I want to retire back to the basement," She finally announced. "I have no desire to eat or sit around the same table with you."

Those words angered him. He was in front of her in a mere second, his face dangerously close to her neck. "You don't seem to understand your position very well, Elena. You don't really have a choice in any of this. Your choice was taken away from you the second you agreed to become my prisoner."

"You sick bastard," Elena screamed, "I will _never _bow down to your wishes. I'd rather die," She stood up, sending the chair skidding backwards.

"If you don't eat with me, then you don't eat at all!" He roared the last part, his demonic face taking place instead of the normal one and Elena jerked back in fear, running back to the basement. Somehow it was better than being in the same room with him.

* * *

Damon hit the wall in frustration, causing Pearl and Anna to jump. "She's so stubborn!" He screamed in annoyance, looking at the two horrified housekeepers.

"Master, you're frightening the poor girl. She isn't ready. Please try and understand how hard it must be for her adjusting to all of this. She's condemned her life for you, Damon. Young women don't go through that." Pearl told him, "You have to speak gentler. This girl lost her freedom, her friend and learnt about this new reality all in a matter of a few hours. Go and apologize."

"Apologize?" Damon laughed hysterically almost as if he was driven to madness. "I don't do apologies!" He roared, hitting the new glass again. "All I want is for this fucking curse to be broken! It's been years since I've properly stepped outside, since I've enjoyed myself. I can't even sleep with a woman without my face changing. I just spent all these years here, alone with my servants, waiting for the right fucking girl!"

"Well, your attitude isn't going to help!" Anna snapped, and Damon froze. Neither Anna nor Pearl had ever snapped at him before. Maybe they were right, after all.

"Okay," He said trying to calm himself down. "Fine. But if she doesn't come to dinner with me, she is not receiving any food. Understood?"

"Yes, master." The mother and daughter said in unison.

He went down to the basement and knocked gently on the door.

"Go away," Her muffled voice said.

"Elena, I'd like to escort you to dinner." He said in his best voice.

"No!" She screamed back.

He felt his patience running thin, but he forced a calm tone.

"Elena, please come out so that you can have dinner with me. Then we can talk," He spoke gently, exaggerating every word in the sentence.

"No thank you," She said stubbornly, and it was then that he lost it.

"Fine! Then starve!" With that, he left the basement and went to take his aggression out on Anna's neck, because this thing with Elena made him angry, hungry and frustrated.

He didn't know how long he was going to last if this girl's behaviour didn't change.

* * *

"Here my poor child." Pearl whispered placing a tray of steaming food beside her feet.

"I'm not hungry." Elena replied quietly.

"You need to eat, dear." Pearl urged. "It will only be harder if you don't. I won't let you starve."

Elena eyed the food like a eagle. She'd never admit it but she was starving, and the food looked and smelled extravagant. Potatoes drenched in gravy, carrots and roast beef accompanied with a bottle of water. "Did Damon make you bring this to me?" She'd rather die if she knew that Damon was making her eat this.

"He doesn't know." She replied. "He made it clear to us that if you refused to dine with him then you would receive no food but we can't just let you slowly starve. It's not what humans do." Elena could see the pity in the woman's eyes but if she really felt sorry for her, she would help her out of this place. Elena didn't realize that compulsion was keeping Pearl there, taking orders because she was obligated to and not because of her free will.

"Damon does it." Elena piped.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't call Damon hu-" She stopped dead in her tracks, realizing what she was saying. She turned pale and decided to leave Elena to be alone and eat her meal.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked as Pearl walked back toward the door.

"Nothing." She quickly said. "Please eat." And with that, she left, leaving a very confused Elena to do nothing but eat and think.

Pearl had just meant to imply that Damon wasn't human and perhaps it was a figure of speech but something deep inside her gut was telling her there was something supernatural about him. And it did nothing but aid to her suspiciousness the incident at the front door. Protruding veins under his eyes, pulsing and moving as well as those razor sharp teeth. She had read about 'creatures' like that...vampires. But real vampires, just outside of Mystic Falls... wow. There was only one thing she could do to figure out of her assumption was right or not, and that was to question Damon himself, and that sounded like a horrible idea. But she knew she was going to do it anyway because curiosity always got the best of her. She tried to think of other things, but all she could think about was vampires and monsters-There wasn't any other way.

* * *

"Have you finished your meal, dear?" She heard Pearl call from behind the barred door.

"Yes." Elena replied. "It was delicious, thank you."

"It's my pleasure, dear. Don't think anything of it." Pearl replied as she opened the door, a faint smile on her face. "You should eat all of your meals. Hopefully you can consider perhaps dining with master one evening soon. It'll be worse if you don't...It'll be worse if you avoid him. I know he frightens you... but this is all new to him as well. Be patient with him." The woman offered. "He's really trying, he doesn't know how to interact with people-let along a beautiful, young woman such as yourself. It has been so long since he went out of this house, he is just used to giving orders and have things perfectly done for him. But he'll come around." She seemed so sure, Elena almost wanted to believe her.

"I can't make any promises." Elena answered wearily. "He's frightened me, he's hurt me, he's condemned me, I don't like him."

"Patience, dear." The servant cooed. "Patience is virtue. Now come." She motioned toward the door. "Master has requested that I show you around. He wants you to be comfortable in this giant house, since you'll be living here. He wishes for you to return to your prepared bedroom. He feels bad having you down in this dreary basement."

"He's going to give me whiplash with all these constant mood changes." Elena muttered under her breath, following Pearl.

"Patience." Pearl whispered once more as they walked out of the dungeon like cellar.

* * *

"This is the dining room/parlour/library/whatever else you feel like calling it but you've already been through here." Pearl said as they walked through the large room and heading upstairs, in the direction of her room and several others. She opened up the first door. "This is just another spare bedroom as are most of these rooms. This used to be a-"

"Boarding house." Elena finished for her. "We learned about it in history. The soldiers stayed here during the civil war."

"Right you are, dear." Pearl beamed. "That's something you have in common with master. He is very good with history."

"Hmm." Elena said, acknowledging the remaining 'guest rooms'. There were another ten minus her bedroom. Most looked the same, just with different colour old-fashioned wall paper or a different bedroom set. She had to admit, everything was beautiful and if she didn't know better she would've felt like a princess seeing all that luxury. There was also a 'pampering room' as Pearl put it-a place where Damon's mother used to spend her time getting ready for large balls and events and then there was the study. That's where Damon spent most of him time apart from the dining room.

"His mother was a very important person to him. He just sits here sometimes and rummage through her stuff."

Elena just nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Now, master has made it clear for me to warn you not to enter this room." Pearl warned as they came upon the last room in the hall.

"What's in there?" Elena asked curiously.

"I have no idea, myself. Nobody but master is allowed to enter." The woman shrugged, not thinking anything of it.

"I wonder what's in there." Elena whispered more so to herself, rubbing her chin.

Pearls eyes flew open and she put her hand on Elena's shoulder. "Please, do not wonder. Don't go in there, okay? Master is very strict on this rule and you wouldn't want to make him angry. I don't think tha the Master wants to hurt you. But it won't result in anything good if you go against his wishes."

"No, I wouldn't want to make him angry..." Elena agreed, still wondering about the possessions on the other side of that door.

"Good." Pearl removed her hand from Elena and clapped it together with the other, smiling gleefully. "Well I guess this concludes our tour."

"This place is huge." Elena admired.

"There's also the old chambers where Master's old bedroom is but it hasn't been used for years, neither one of us go there, ever. Master doesn't even go there."

"Why not?" Elena found herself asking. Once again, curiosity getting the best of her. She was, after all, a curious creature by nature.

"There's nothing there." Pearl shrugged. "It's basically just an old cob-web filled empty room."

"Oh." Was all Elena said.

"Are you going to move back into your room up here?" Pearl asked sweetly as they passed her door.

"If I do, do I have to remain in there at all times?" She asked. If she was going to be a prisoner she may as well just stay in the basement. It was more like a cell anyway. Who was she kidding? The only difference a room was going to make was that she was going to have a comfortable bed and a clean place to stay in. It's not like it's going to get her free. It was still a prison, and she couldn't leave it because God knows what he'd do to her if she tried to back away from her deal.

"Master said if you decide to come back up here, then you could have access to the entire house minus the forbidden room as long as one of us are close. I told you, he wants you to get familiar with this place. He hopes that as time goes by, you won't see it as a prison."

"Really?" Elena smiled a little, still very confused by his behaviour. Less than two hours ago he had screamed at her and frightened her, and now he was acting like she was a guest.

"Really." She confirmed.

* * *

"You've decided to move back to your original room?" Damon asked, catching Elena off guard. She was sat in his lounge chair, facing the fire. She was dazed off staring at the dancing flame.

She jumped and put her hand to her chest, clearly frightened. "Yes."

"That's good." Damon smirked. "I see you've took advantage of your new freedom." He said, half seriously, half sarcastically. "Good to know that you finally opened your eyes."

"Yeah." Elena mumbled. "Might as well."

"That's not the attitude to have." Damon huffed. "But it's a start... I know we got off on the wrong track and I'm sorry for that. I snap easily." It wasn't easy for him to apologize. Hell, it was hard enough just talking to her.

"I know." It wasn't 'apology accepted' but it was all he was going to get from her and he knew it. At least they were back on speaking terms, and she didn't seem very afraid of him either.

A moment of silence passed by and Elena couldn't help but blurt out her thoughts. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Oh yeah?" Damon asked questioningly raising an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

"What are you?" Elena dead panned.

"W-what do you mean?" Damon stammered.

"What are you?" Elena repeated.

Was Damon going to tell her? She obviously knew something was up, she was questioning it for fuck sakes. Besides, it wasn't every day a 'man' walked around with long, pointy teeth and bloodshot eyes with veins underneath them. Sometimes those veins just appeared randomly, even when he wasn't mad or hungry. He couldn't hide from her, it was not possible. She hadn't been around him enough to get a close look at him and whenever they had talked, it was behind that barred door but still. She knew what he looked like and it wasn't the norm.

Damon inhaled deeply and glanced at Elena who was looking at with both a curious yet weary expression. "I'm a vampire, Elena."

* * *

AN: Dun dun dun.. so now Elena knows. Of course she had her suspicions but how's she's going to react to realizing she was indeed, right?

We're sorry about the wait for this chapter. I've been settling back home here in NL and school started and such. And Amy(LiveBreathVampire's) also busy with school and lessons and whatnot. We hope you're enjoying this as much as we are and thanks so much for all of your kind reviews :) We love them so keep um' coming :D

xoxo.


	5. Chapter 4

What Lies Beneath

_Chapter four._

* * *

"You're a what?" Elena asked, in shock.

"I'm a vampire." Damon shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? You know—the constant veins and pulsing under my eyes, my teeth…" He trailed off.

"I didn't want to think m-much of it." She stammered. Her heart was now racing, and Damon knew it full well. He could her he sweet, crimson liquid as it danced throughout her body, quickening its tempo and the speed of the lovely music—the heartbeat. But he didn't want her to be scared—he didn't want her to be scared of _him_. Scaring her wasn't going to work, and he was doing everything in his power to reverse her thoughts on him, he needed a second chance. He needed this girl. He hated that he had to settle on Elena regardless if he had wanted to or not; she was his only shot in regaining his life back. Fortunately for him though, she was sweet, kind, caring and warm. Her beauty was a bonus. Everything that defined Elena Gilbert made him want to be human again; and be the man that she deserved. He was lucky that he found such a beautiful woman. For a moment, he felt guilty for treating her like crap.

"Then don't." Damon stated, walking around the chair so that he was blocking her view of the fireplace. She had no choice now but to look at him. Surprisingly, she was scared but she wasn't? If that made sense… probably not. She was scared of the things she knew or at least heard rumors about what he was capable of but at the same time she felt safe when she was with him. He was his own oxymoron in her eyes. Wickedly handsome. A beautiful disaster. Perfectly flawed. Calmingly scary and the list could go on and on and on. He was the definition of danger; yet she was drawn to him. Her mind told her to stay away yet something deep inside of her told her to go closer. "I don't want you to be afraid of me, Elena."

"Pfft." She snorted, boldness creeping into her. "You surely do everything to contradict what you just said then."

"No I do not." He insisted.

"Yeah you do." She argued back. "You scare me; you yell at me, you lock me away. You refuse to give me food due to the simple fact that I don't want to dine with you…" Elena narrowed her eyes and stared right at him. "Let me ask you something, Damon." She began; her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Would you want to eat with somebody who locked you in their home? Treated them like shit and refused to treat them normally."

"For one." Damon held up his finger. "You put yourself in here, sweetheart. If I can recall correctly, it was you that knocked on my door." He emphasized the words as he spoke. "It was you that took your friend's position. Do you remember that or has it slipped your memory?" He was getting extremely saucy with her and to be honest, it was making her quite angry. "If you simply agreed to my dinner arrangements, I wouldn't have to lock you away or yell at you. It wasn't going to kill you to be around the same table with me. It's nobody's fault by your own."

"You need to learn to control your temper!" Elena shot back at him.

He remained silent for a moment, knowing what she had said was true.

"I know." Damon sighed, taking a large sip of his bourbon; emptying the glass once again. What number was it? Three? Four? He couldn't quite remember. But he poured himself up another one anyway. He needed the alcohol for this conversation.

"Well why don't you?" Elena asked, raising her eyebrows and folding her arms.

"It isn't easy for me to change. This is the way I've always been. And I've been around for a very long time."

"How long?" Elena asked wearily.

"Just over one hundred and fifty years." Damon answered honestly.

"Wow…" She replied. So she thought about it for a moment, trying to set it all straight in her mind. Damon was almost a two hundred year old vampire who looked hot as hell. He was keeping her prisoner in his 'home' for reasons she hadn't quite figured out yet and he had a horrible temper. Try telling that to somebody and expecting them to believe you…

"Do you sleep in a coffin?" Elena asked seriously.

Damon looked at her for a moment first before replying because he was puzzled at her question. Then he bust into a fit of laughter that he couldn't retain. "Do I-do I sleep in a coffin? HA. No, but I may as well start if that's what they say."

Well, at least a bit of humor came from the serious conversation. Elena hadn't meant to be funny though. She was honestly trying to understand him better. "Does silver hurt you?"

"I've heard that one." He said. "No."

"Are you nocturnal?"

"Obviously not."

"Oh." She said, finally giving up and it was back to the awkward silence once more. He had finally moved out of the way so she was back to looking at the flames. He would give anything to read into her thoughts at that very moment and see what exactly was going on in that pretty little head of hers. What did she think of him? Did she see him as a monster? A man? An enemy? He'd never know for sure but he intended on changing her opinion of him.

"And by the way…" Damon said without looking at her. "I know that Anna and Pearl brought you food. I could have stopped them, but I didn't. Doesn't that count for something?"

But Elena didn't speak, because she was thinking of him. She was thinking what to now classify him as after this newly discovered piece of information. She should be scared—petrified even and she should probably be attempting to run for the hills but she could see he was trying to change, so that part of her didn't want to leave just yet. She cursed herself why she was letting him get to her like that; it was probably his irresistible charm or his dashing looks. Either way, he was messing with her head.

Knocking her out of her reverie with his voice, Damon quietly said. "Elena, please believe me when I say I am trying to change. Goodnight." And with that, he downed the remaining bit of amber liquid in his glass before placing it on the stand and walking away.

* * *

Elena couldn't sleep. She was so scared of this situation. The word 'vampire' was throbbing in her head, and her stomach was churning with fear. She wanted to get the hell out of there, but she was afraid that he would grab her the second she walked out that front door. She could never see this place as a house. This was a prison, a beautiful, nineteenth century mansion, but still a prison. She was just a prisoner there…and she was afraid. She was afraid that one day he'll snap and she'll be dead.

Sure, he said that he was trying to change. But he obviously wasn't human-his animalistic traits were going to show up, sooner or later. He didn't care about humans, and even if he did try to change, he still won't be human. He had a lot to learn to act like a mortal. It wasn't as if he didn't try because he sure as hell did, it's just being a vampire was his reality and it's what came naturally. He couldn't help that, he couldn't change that. Oh how he wished he could... but he couldn't. He missed it more than anything else in the world; he just wish Elena would realize that and realize it was anything but easy for him.

* * *

Elena shivered, both of that sudden reminder and the cold. The place was cold, and she got up from the bed and warmed herself by sitting on the couch next to the fireplace as she drank in the surroundings. The room was beautiful. It had a canopy bed in the middle of the room, a six door wardrobe, a dressing table and a nice desk. However, everything reminded her of darkness-The furniture was dark, and the paintings in the room were not pleasant. Most of the paintings were paintings of monsters and demons which were creeping her out. She couldn't understand it... why Damon had let the monster in him take over.

Feeling not very tired, Elena poured herself a glass of water from the jug Anna had brought her. She looked around her, trying to figure out what to do with her time, and she grabbed a dusty old book from the bookshelf next to the bedside table. It had obviously been there quite some time because about a inch of dust had collected on its cover. She blew it away and wiped the remaining dust particles away with her hand. It was "Call of the Wild", by Jack London, and she had read that book more than once. After she grew tired of reading by the time she turned to the sixth page because she already knew what to expect, Elena placed the book on the bedside table and opened the door slowly. Everyone seemed to be asleep, and she realized that this was a good opportunity for her to explore the place by herself.

She walked slowly, examining every inch of everything. The place was truly magical and very well kept and decorated. She even noticed that it was surprisingly clean.

However, she stopped when she reached the last room in the hall-The room Pearl warned her not to enter. But Elena was a curious creature by nature-She couldn't resist. She had to look there, she had to see why it was forbidden. She slowly opened the door, thinking that it's probably locked, but to her huge surprise, it swung open easily. The room was bigger than the other rooms, but it had something different too. When she entered, she felt sadness. Almost as if somebody had died in there. On the wall, there were torn portraits of Damon, and she didn't take too long to realize that they were taken when he was human. On a piece of old furniture, there was also a greyish picture of a baby boy, and "Damon Salvatore" written in ink. She smiled at the little angel in the picture and sighed when she realized how much things were different.

Her eyes scanned the room as she put the picture back, and out of all the greyness and blackness, Elena was suddenly attracted to light. Half consciously, she followed the source until she was in front of a pink purple rose which was kept in a vase on an old table. It was beautiful. She had never seen such a beautiful flower in her life. And most of all, it was the only thing in the room that made her feel...happier, she guessed. Happy and alive. Almost like the flower was a medicine or life.

She reached out to touch the flower, but as soon as she was going to gently caress one of the petals, she felt something push her against a wall. She cried out in pain and fear when she saw Damon, his angelic face gone and his demon face staring at her like he was about to rip her off.

"I thought Pearl told you to never come here!" He yelled at her face, shaking her fragile body roughly.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean…." She tried to explain, but Damon was completely out of his mind.

"Do you realize what you could've done?" He growled, and on instinct his fangs elongated. Elena let out a bloodcurdling scream when she saw Damon's fangs coming dangerously close to her and she pushed him with all her strength, sending him away from her by just a few inches. However, it was enough for Damon to look at the frightened expression on the girl's face.

The second he saw tears falling down her cheek, he felt guiltier than ever and instantly regretted freaking. She could have prevented it, it was her own fault... "I'm sorry…" He tried to say, reaching out to try and adjust her dress back to place.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed, "I hate you!"

With that, she ran out of the room, leaving Damon falling apart when he realized that he had lost her. He had pushed her away, he had scared her. He had lost his chance in being human again, and it was his fault. He ran after her, feeling the desperate need of apologizing, of making it up to her.

* * *

When Elena found herself in the cold, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She knew that he was going to follow her. She was so afraid now, and all she wanted to do was to get the hell out of there and return to her home. She couldn't take it any more. She didn't what she had promised, she didn't care what she had said. She couldn't take it, she couldn't stay in that place any longer. He was giving her some kind of mental whiplash and she wouldn't be able to take much more of it.

She ran, stumbling and falling in attempt to get away. Only when she turned left, she let out a scream when she saw a pack of hungry-looking wolves, which were howling and staring at her intensely. She knew that this was how she was going to die. Desperately, she tried to grab a branch to shoo the wolves away, but it only made things worse. She closed her eyes, bracing the pain when one of the wolves jumped right at her direction and opened his mouth hungrily. The impact on her made her fall backwards and she hit her head, hard. The wolf was grabbing her dress and pulling it by its mouth, biting her legs hard. She closed her eyes as the wolf jumped to attack her face.

The wolf never bit Elena.

Instead, she was pushed behind someone's back. She heard an animalistic growl and when she opened her eyes, she saw Damon standing in front of her, tearing at the wolves' skin as he shielded her. One of the wolves jumped, pinning Damon underneath him and Damon growled, trying to fight him off. The wolf attacked his shoulder and he let out a scream of agony, but with huge strength, Damon pushed the wolf off him and daggered him. The animal let out an agonized cry until it stopped moving.

Damon looked at the blood on his hands before turning to Elena and walked slowly towards her. She was on the floor, bleeding, and she looked terrified. She locked her eyes with his as he picked her up carefully in his arms.

"You're hurt," Elena said.

Damon didn't say anything. Instead, he carried her all the way to his house, ignoring the agonizing pain coming from his shoulder.

* * *

When Anna saw Damon carrying Elena's bleeding body, she nearly choked on tears. She thought that Damon had hurt Elena, and the scene was too much to bear. It was only when Damon requested hot towels that she complied to her master's wishes.

"Wolves," He said, as if he was reading her thoughts. "You can go, Anna."

"Are you sure, master? I can tend to her wounds, and you can take care of yours."

"No, Anna. You can leave." He dismissed her before turning to the brunette beauty on his couch.

She looked at him with wide eyes as he sat on the opposite end of the couch and rested his hand on her thighs. He looked at her, waiting for permission as he rolled her long gown up so that he could examine her bruises.

"You'll be fine," He said, "No severe injuries. Mostly scratches and bruises. You just need some bandages though. Just let me know if it hurts too much, okay?"

She nodded, unable to speak, as he bandaged her knee neatly.

"Now, I need you to look at me. Can you do that?" He asked her softly.

She nodded.

"How many fingers am I holding?"

"Four," She answered. "Now three…two…five."

"Good. I see you haven't got a concussion then. You hit your head pretty hard."

He stopped hissed when he felt his own blood running down his arm.

"Are you in pain?" She asked him.

"What do you think?" He suddenly snapped. "This wouldn't have happened if you didn't run away."

"Well, if you didn't frighten me, I wouldn't have run away," She snapped back, and Damon bit his tongue. He was the reason she ran away. "But…thank you. For saving my life," She said sincerely, looking at him with those doe eyes. And he did deserve to be thanked, after all. He could've stayed where he was. If she meant nothing to him, why did he even bother to save her? This made her realize that there must be some human qualities left after all. He had risked his life to save hers.

Damon was surprised too that she thanked him. He was even more surprised that he did something completely selfless. He could have left her to the wolves, after all she had disobeyed him and she had tried to escape. But instead, he went after her. And not because she was the only chance he had in getting his humanity back. It was simply because she didn't deserve to die. Not when he could stop it.

He smiled at her, for once. "You're welcome." He secured the bandages again and stood up, only he stumbled backwards.

"Damon, what's wrong?" She asked in concern.

He let out another hiss of pain and tore his sleeve to expose his upper shoulder as best as he could. His vision was beginning to blur a little and he felt his stomach go in knots. Elena stared in horror at the mark.

Damon, however, didn't seem surprised. He had felt the bite growing the second he picked up Elena in his arms and carried her back home. But it didn't matter-She was his first choice. He had put her life in front of his own and now he was going to pay the price.

"Damon, what is it?" Elena demanded for the second time.

"It's nothing." Damon tried to brush it off but Elena was able to see right through him.

"Tell me the truth." She commanded in a stern voice. "Now!"

"It was werewolves." Damon said, sighing deeply, sitting down and wrapping bandages around his own injury.

"As in... other supernatural creatures that we only hear about in movies and books?"

"Yeah, those." Damon confirmed. "Their bite... is well; fatal to a vampire."

Elena gasped in shock. She knew what he was getting at, she knew what he was saying. And words couldn't even begin to describe how sorry she felt about running away after that.

* * *

**AN: And we're back :) We both uploaded a chapter or two of our other stories and got back to this one ASAP. Thanks so much for all your lovely feedback, we appreciate it so much and we're having an amazing time writing this. :)**

**Please review. **

**xoxo, Courtney and Amy. **


	6. Chapter 5

**What Lies Beneath**

**Chapter five.**

"No no no… it can't be fatal." Elena said kneeling next to him as she examined the bite. "There has to be a cure."

"There is no cure, Elena." He shrugged her off and covered the mark. "Just leave me alone. I want to rest."

"I can't leave you like this…" She objected. Her human instincts were kicking in. She was feeling guilty for running away and even sadder at the thought of helplessness—she couldn't do anything to help it. It was all her fault that he had gotten bitten. If only she had obeyed Pearl...

"Elena," Damon breathed in deeply. "Please leave." He ordered her but in a quiet tone; she understood where he was coming from. She'd want to be alone if that had happened to her as well. He was trying to look okay but she knew he wasn't. The bite was serious.

She nodded, heartbroken and grieving for the man that saved her life, she returned to her room. She sat on the couch and stared at the fireplace. She felt so lost and confused, she wanted to help him. She just didn't know how.

Unable to think or rest, she fidgeted with her dress until she heard a soft knock. At first, she was about to say that she was tired but then she recognized Damon's voice.

"May I come in?"

Elena looked up, surprised to say the least but mumbled a yes. He was ashen as death and when he sat next to her she felt the guilt welling up inside of her once more. It killed her to look at him; he looked so ill and pale. She just wanted to take all of his pain and suffering away, and make him better.

"Why aren't you happy that I'm going to die?" Damon asked her after a few minutes. "You'll be free, just what you've wanted all along." He was right. A normal human being would not give a shit. A normal teenage girl would be more than happy that the person who was keeping her prisoner was going to die thus meaning she'd be free. But that wasn't the case for Elena, oddly enough.

"I don't want you to die." Elena whispered. "You saved my life, Damon. I know there are human qualities in you, you proved that tonight. Otherwise you would have left me to the wolves and I'd be dead and torn up in a ditch somewhere by now. You care, I know you do."

He didn't say anything and Elena bit her lip before slowly scooting close to him, her hands folded in her lap. "I feel obligated to you, Damon. And I promise you, I will find a cure." She said determined. "You saved my life, I will save yours."

He sighed. "Elena, werewolf bites are fatal. I don't even think I'll last a week."

A week? No, this couldn't be happening. There was no way she could find a cure in just a week. It was too short. This was all so sudden—all too sudden. "We-we'll think of something." She managed to say. "But right now, like you said earlier… you should be resting."

"Bu-" He tried to say but she held her hand up to his mouth and silenced him.

"Ah, ah ah." She frowned. "No but's."

"So you're going to take care of me then?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrow and smirking. Thank God he hadn't lost his humour and sarcasm with the sickness.

"Yes, I am." Elena smiled, folding her arms to prove her point. At that point in time, he realized just how cute she looked—how innocent she was.

* * *

"Where is Elena, Caroline?" Klaus demanded as he entered the Grill.

He'd spotted Caroline sat at one of the booths with her friend Matt. She still looked just as frightened as the day they had their last conversation. That's because she was. Her best friend is being held hostage for Christ's sake! The worst part was no one was believing her, and when she had tried to go back to Elena herself, the maid told her that she couldn't let her in. She seemed hypnotized.

"Fuck off and leave her alone." Matt snapped, defending his friend. They'd only just finished talking about Elena for what seemed like the millionth time. Caroline couldn't get her mind off of her best friend and rightly so. Matt didn't exactly believe her per se. A monster man? That was a little far fetched. She had told him about the teeth and the veins and the eyes and to be honest, he thought she was loopy. He was good friends with Elena but he didn't think she had gotten kidnapped. He didn't know where Elena was but if she didn't return to Mystic falls soon he was going to involve the town sheriff.

"Is your name Caroline, bus boy?" Klaus asked hissing underneath his breath. Matt worked at the Grill after school and on weekends. His mother didn't live with him so he was paying all of the house bills, proving himself with groceries and keeping fuel in his truck.

"I don't want to talk to you." Caroline piped up but didn't bother to look at him. She still had her best friend on her mind. Elena was missing. She was trying so hard to keep her tears at bay.

"Well, I don't think you really have a choice sweetie." He said sweetly before adding. "Now I'd advise you to tell me where Elena is and don't bullshit me Caroline."

"I told you!" She yelled and all the tears that had threatened to fall finally broke free and cascaded down her cheeks like raindrops. She turned to Klaus, her cheeks red from anger. "You just want to know where Elena is because you want to fuck her, you whore!"

"I'd watch it if I were you." He warned, narrowing his eyes at the feisty blonde.

"No. I'd watch it if I were you!" She threw back. "You fuck everything in sight. Every girl in this town has practically been with you. I don't see what they see in you! You disgust me!"

"You didn't seem to think I was disgusting last month in your bed. I distinctly remember you screaming 'you're amazing Klaus! OHH'" He tried to imitate her voice. "But just FYI, there has been way better since you. So don't think so highly of yourself."

"UGH!" Caroline threw her hands in the air in exasperation. She felt like she was going to explode any moment. "You got me drunk, you idiot."

"Doesn't matter." He smirked. "I'm just proving a point. You're still part of 'every girl in this town'. But I don't really want to remember our time together. What I want to really know, is where Elena is."

"Elena." Caroline spat. "Has been taken by some guy that has pointy teeth. She left the same day as me to go to a party, her car broke down and she ended up there and didn't come out! Where else would she be? Why would I lie?!"

"Because you're jealous that I'm interested in her and not you." Klaus blatantly said.

"You wish." Caroline screwed her face up and gladed from him to Matt then back to Klaus before carefully and saucily emphasizing every word. "Believe me. Don't believe me. I honestly. Do not. Give. A. Fuck."

"Screw you." Klaus barked, turning on his heels and walking out the door. "She isn't far and she will be mine."

"When hell freezes over, twice." She muttered. "Ugh, Matt. He is such an ass hole!"

"The guys a prick, Caroline." Matt agreed with his friend. "Is it true you slept with him, Care? Please tell me it isn't."

"That's beside the point, Matt!" She declared.

"If you say so."

* * *

"Ouch." He hissed as she applied alcohol to his forearm.

"Hold still." Elena demanded trying to hold down his arm while he tried to pull it out of her reach.

"It hurts." He said, stating the obvious.

"I know that." Elena rolled her eyes, dabbing the alcohol dipped gauze on his arm again. "But if you want to clean it, you're going to have to stop being such a big baby and let me do it. This may help."

Damon was flabbergasted with the way she was talking to him. He hadn't had anybody talk to him like that in his entire life, which was a pretty long time. She kept surprising him more and more each day. She wasn't a pushover and she had backbone. He liked that. She spoke her mind, all the time. She didn't lie, didn't edge around the hard truth. It just came out. She was honest. And she was not afraid, not the slightest. Usually women praised him and gave themselves to him, treating him like he was a Greek god or something mystical. But this girl, no, this woman, she had the fire inside her. She was not afraid to tell him, insult him, even.

They remained quiet until she finished cleaning his wound and bandaging it. She knew that it wouldn't help it heal but it would make it easier for him to look at, seeing it wasn't going to get any better. "There." She rubbed her hands together. "Almost like new."

"Almost." He scoffed earning a sad look from Elena. "No. I'm sorry. Thank you, Elena." He whispered solemnly.

"For what?" She asked. She had only wrapped his wound.

"For helping me." He answered. "Nobody has ever done anything nice for me."

"Never?" Elena questioned in doubt.

"No." He replied. "You must be someone special."

She giggled causing a piece of her long hair to go in front of her eyes. She slowly tucked it behind her ear with her pinky finger.

"You really should laugh more." He told her, smiling softly. "It really is a beautiful sound."

She turned away blushing not knowing what had gotten into her all of a sudden. She was blushing because of his comments—his compliments? He definitely must have hit his head.

"Thank you." She whispered, looking up and locking eyes with him. And at the moment, she could truthfully say she didn't see any sort of monster. All she seen was a man, crying out for help—hoping to be saved.

She looked away from him shyly and before she could rise from the couch, Damon grabbed her hand.

"Don't go," He almost pleaded. "Sit here next to me."

She felt a sense of solitude in the man, one that made her heart break to a million pieces. This man, Damon Salvatore, really had no one in his life. No wonder he was so cold with her.

"Why don't you go out?" Elena asked after a few minutes as he sat next to him. "You don't have to stay in this place."

"I never wanted to show my face to anyone," He answered back shortly. There was more to it, but he couldn't tell her. He couldn't tell her that the witch had cursed him to stay inside during the daylight hours instead he'll burn. Sure, he could go out at night if he liked, but he was so disgusted with his nature that he didn't even bother. In fact, he had almost given up that anyone would at least like him until he met Elena.

Elena nodded, unable to say anything. She heard him hiss in pain.

"Does it still hurt a lot?" She asked in concern.

"Not unbearable," He shrugged. "But still…it hurts."

"We have to find a cure, Damon. I can't leave you like this," She said firmly. "There has to be something about this, right? A book or a magazine or…" She was not making any sense now and she knew it, but she couldn't think of anything else. There wasn't much to do if she was going to stay in this house. But where could she go?

Damon interrupted her thoughts. "Elena, there might be something that can help."

"What is that?" She told him immediately.

"Your family's journals," He finally choked out. "Your ancestors."

Elena looked at him in confusion. "You knew my ancestors?"

"Yes. My father was close friends with John Gilbert."

She processed the information. "And why do you think these journals have anything to do with this?"

"John Gilbert reported everything he found on vampires. There could be a cure written somewhere in his journals…" He said thoughtfully.

"Where are these journals?" Elena cut him off. "I need to get them."

"They're at your house, Elena."

Elena looked surprised and stared blankly at him. "What?"

"Over the years they were given to children and grandchildren, Elena. They were passed on. The Gilberts' are founding families, they know about vampirism."

"I didn't," Elena objected.

"When I say 'Gilberts', I mean the grown men, Elena," He teased her.

She smiled back and acted offended. "I'm hurt, Salvatore." She then bit her lip and her face turned serious. "Aren't there any copies in your house? Anything?"

"There were some journals in the library, but I packed everything away. There might be something left though."

"Then we'll have to search," Elena said. "We'll find the cure, Damon, okay? I promise."

* * *

Klaus returned home in rage. He sipped his drink fast and almost broke his glass in anger. Where the hell was Elena? She was supposed to be his. He was supposed to claim her already. She was the only woman that was never interested in him and the thought of it sickened him. He was Klaus Mikaelson, for Christ's sake, he had bedded every girl in town-Why didn't Elena fall for his charms like other girls? Every other girl had been easy bait, but this one... she was feisty and it made him want her even more. And he'd be damned if he didn't have her.

He remembered once he gave her a necklace with a nice, flower pendant. She had thanked him but told him that she couldn't accept it because she was already dating someone. He was dumbfounded-Girls usually drooled when they received something from him. Scratch that, every girl dreamt of owning something that was once touched by Klaus Mikaelson that was purchased by his own money. It was a well known fact, basically a statistic.

Now Caroline was saying that Elena was kidnapped. Even though he couldn't believe what Caroline said, he was getting suspicious. The town was Elena's favourite thing. She wouldn't just leave without telling anyone, without saying goodbye or without taking any belongings or furniture with her. It just didn't make sense. She loved her friends, her family, her school, the Grill. She loved the town in general. This wasn't like her, not at all.

What if there was something wrong after all?

* * *

**AN from Amy:**

**Dear readers, thank you so much for reviewing. I'm glad that you're liking this story since Courtney and I are working a lot on it. This was something new for both of us since we had never co-written and your support is appreciated. Thank you for favouriting, alerting and best of all, reviewing. Hope you'll enjoy what we have in store for you! xxx**

**And please remember to keep telling us what you think, :D**


	7. Chapter 6

**What Lies Beneath **

**_chapter six_  
**

* * *

If anyone told her a few weeks ago that she would be the one trying to find a cure for Damon, Elena would have branded them insane. But now, just a few weeks later, she was in Damon Salvatore's library searching for her ancestors' journals in hope that she would find something-anything to make him better. She owed him that much, he was bitten because he had saved her life.

Damon wasn't doing much better, either. With the pain in his body and his confusion he could barely reason things out properly. He couldn't stop thinking about Elena. Sweet, beautiful little Elena. She amused him, she mesmerized him. She even made him angry at times, because he wasn't used to people speak to him in certain ways. She clearly showed no fear when she talked to him, bossed him around, even. She was unique and he liked her fire-he was getting consumed by her everyday. He often dreamt of having her little body close to his, of touching her lips with his and of stroking her soft, delicate skin whenever he wanted to. He hated to say it, but he needed her. She was a great addition to his life and he felt happy when she was around, even though he never showed it.

He heard a soft knock and Elena entered the room slowly with a journal in her hand. "Damon, I found something," She said tapping the page lightly. "There is a cure for werewolf bites. These bites are like venom-they have to be cleaned. The only thing that cleans a vampire is blood."

Damon looked at her with confusion written all over his face. "So you're saying that if I drink blood I'll get better? I already drank some blood..."

"Not just any blood," Elena said, "Gilbert blood."

Damon's eyes widened.

"It says here that the first werewolf was an ancestor of the Gilbert family bloodline. This werewolf impregnated a woman so the Gilbert bloodline went on. The first werewolf accidentally bit the woman after birth, who was human, and she was saved by the newborn's blood on her hands. It says here that Gilbert blood actually heals werewolf bites. I don't know if it's true, but I want to try," Elena took a deep breath and went to sit next to him, holding out her hand. "Do it. Just please… don't make it hurt too much," Her voice was barely a whisper. She was obviously scared and not prepared at all. She closed her eyes when he took her hand and raised it to meet his lips, and she braced herself for the pain. But instead of the sharp teeth, she felt his soft lips kiss the inner part of her wrist.

"You can drop your hand, Elena, I'm not going to eat you," He said softly, touching her cheek with his hand, the barest brush of his fingertips. "We'll find another way."

"There is no other way, Damon. You _have_ to drink from me."

"Nope, I'm not going to do it," He said stubbornly.

Elena smiled. So he really did care for her. An agonizing twist, however, made Elena's heart stop beating for a few seconds as she saw Damon's face becoming sweaty.

"Damon, please, drink from me," She begged.

"Elena, I won't hurt you," He said, touching her face again. "I just can't."

"You won't. I don't want to see you like this. You saved me, I owe you this much. Please, Damon," She held her wrist out again.

"If we're going to do it, then we have to do it my way," Damon said firmly.

"Your way?" She asked.

"I don't want to hurt you. In fact, I can make it feel good for you."

"Good? What do you mean by good?" Elena raised her eyebrows. Was he talking about something orgasmic, something that she might be seduced with?

He just chuckled. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." She breathed.

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

Her breath caught in her throat, however, when he brushed her hair away from her neck. Elena's body immediately tensed up, and her heart started to beat fast, both in fear and anticipation.

"Shh, you have nothing to be afraid of," he whispered soothingly. "I promise that it will not hurt."

She breathed in and he placed his lips on her neck, placing a soft kiss there. He knew that he was taking a risk by putting his mouth on her, but he couldn't resist. He had to kiss that delicate skin at least once, he had to feel it against his lips. He also had to show her that she was not a meal to him, that what he was going to do to her was not going to be done by means of cruelty or submission.

Then, very gently, he let his fangs elongate and he bit down softly on her skin. Elena felt the pain of the sting, but Damon caressed her face gently and then the pain started to subside until it was turned into pleasure. Sinful, orgasmic pleasure that ran through her body and made her throb with need. He drank greedily from her, gently but pleasurably, and kept stroking circles on her hips as her back pressed against his chest. He drank for no more than five seconds and then he licked the wounds to help them heal quickly.

"Thank you," She heard him whisper, and Elena nodded her head, feeling light-headed by his seduction.

"Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked worried when he saw that she was still frozen.

"No," Elena smiled. "You didn't."

"Good," Damon said, cutting two bandages and putting them gently on her neck. He noticed how this experience had made him want her even more, but he wouldn't take advantage of this situation to get her to kiss him, or hell, something more. He knew that after this experience she was feeling seduced, because it was the nature of vampire bites. He couldn't take advantage of this situation, because she would give herself to him not because she wanted to, but because she was consumed. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her temple. "Thank you, Elena." He looked to where the wound had been on his arm and it was just finishing the last bit of healing. It was gone!

* * *

"How are you feeling now?" Elena asked, sauntering in the parlour where Damon sit, consumed by his thoughts. It had been a couple hours since the 'blood sharing'. Elena had taken time for herself and went to her room and napped, because it had drained her. She was now recuperated.

"I feel much better." Damon admitted as he placed the glass of bourbon on the table and stood up, moving toward her. "Thank you again, Elena. How are you feeling?" He was still worried that he had taken too much from her. God, since when did he worry about hurting measly humans? Guess he really cared for her after all.

"Don't thank me." She waved off. "It's the least I could do, really. And I'm fine. That nap really worked wonders."

"I'm glad." He smiled. "What you did today, it meant a lot to me." His hand moved up to cup her face. "I just want you to know that."

"I do." She whispered. She felt her heart accelerate and her breath hitched. Why was he starting to have this affect on her? God, she wanted him. His eyes were enough to make her forget her own name.

"Good." He said, equally as quiet as she had spoken. He looked from her eyes to her lips. Her eyes were darker than normal and her lips were parted ever so slightly. He felt a strong pull towards those luscious lips. He just wanted to kiss them, just to see what it would feel like. He would like that. He knew it, but he held off. Because he knew he couldn't be the one to initiate the obvious attraction and feelings between them. He already knew he had said feelings for her, he'd admitted that to himself a dozen times over by now. But he wasn't exactly sure if she felt the same. He knew that he still had to work to get Elena to see him as a man and not a monster. He had his hopes and his guesses and he had her signals but he could never really be sure. And he wanted to wait for the real moment of truth, where she proved to him she did. That was the only thing was would break this wretched curse.

But he glanced at those lips again and they were practically begging to be kissed. Giving into the temptation he leaned in towards Elena, who closed her eyes and opened her mouth a little further awaiting Damon's arrival. But instead, she felt his soft lips on his cheek. He had stirred himself away just before he placed his lips on her. He knew that was what she wanted but she had to do it herself. It was the only way.

"See you at dinner, Elena." Damon said seductively before walking out of the parlour. He needed to tell Mrs. Pearl to prepare an extra special meal for this evening. After all, they were celebrating.

It was nearly time for her to meet him in the dining room and she was still standing in her room unable to decide what to wear. She knew she didn't need to get all dolled up, it would be silly but she couldn't help but want to look a little nicer than usual for him tonight. She was beginning to feel things within herself-feelings for _him_ as a matter of fact. And they were just beginning to stir, she felt the pull between them. She knew he felt it too. But could she really fall for a _vampire?_ Of course it was possible, it was happening. She had tried to deny it and make herself hate him. Because he had 'kidnapped' her and for a while, he acted monstrous to her but ever since he saved her, she seen a different perspective of him. Oddly enough, she felt safe with him. She felt like she belonged with him, that him kidnapping her was just the start of a new chapter.

Trying to focus on tonight's events instead of getting ahead of herself and thinking about the future, she made her way over to the large walk-in closet that was... well hers. Damon had all kinds of clothes in there for her, brand new with price tags still attached and the weirdest thing was-they were all exactly her size. How had he known? He guessed it was Mrs. Pearl and Anna that had done all the shopping. And they had it put away so nice and organized.

The clothes were firstly organized by category. Shirts, tanks, blazers, hoodies, sweaters, dresses, pants, skirts etcetera. And then within the groups they were colour coordinated. And it wasn't just any clothes. The entire closet consisted of huge designer outfits and very popular labels. There were dresses trimmed with lace, others made of satin and others that resembled the ones women wore in the Victorian era. She didn't understand why or when she'd have to wear those dresses, but still she loved looking at them. Then it clicked-Damon was, in fact, from the Victorian Era. There was also an entire wall for shoes, purses and jewellery and to her extreme surprise, the accessories all matched at least one article of clothing in some way, shape or form. They had really outdone themselves and Elena was truly blown away by Damon's thoughtful gestures and once again her mind returned back to her blossoming feelings for him. It was stuff like this that didn't make it any easier. It was stuff like this that had made her want to kiss him earlier in the parlour.

She had been so close to doing it, she had thought she had given him enough signs. She didn't want to do it first, she wanted him to be the one to initiate it and inside, she jumped for joy when he began to lean in towards her obviously parted lips. But to her disappointment, he kissed her cheek instead and walked away leaving her confused and dumbfounded. Maybe he was too shy to be the one to kiss her first? She chuckled, however. The words 'Damon' and 'shy' definitely didn't make sense in the same sentence. She surely didn't care if it was what needed to be done. She'd do it, in a heartbeat.

Finally, Elena decided on a simple, knee length white dress. She paired it with a beautiful gold necklace and matching bracelets and earrings. She did nothing special with her hair or make up partly because she didn't want him waiting on her but mainly because she always let her hair air dry and she never wore make up.

"Hey." Elena smiled shyly as she entered the dining room. Damon stood up from his chair and moved to hers and pulled it out for her, motioning her to sit down. "Thank you."

"Hey yourself." Damon sat down beside her and looked at her. "You look stunning, as ever."

"Thanks." She blushed and giggled and noticed his fancier than usual attire. "You as well."

"Well I always look stunning but thanks for noticing." The prominent smirk appeared shortly after. Elena laughed just as Anna and Mrs. Pearl came through the doors with their food in fancy looking silver trays escorted by trolleys and accompanied with nice wine and Italian bread.

"Wow." Elena breathed. "What is all this?"

"This is food." Damon smirked again causing Elena to give him a stern look. "Well I guess you're going to have to wait and find out when Mrs. Pearl hoists the cover off."

Just as if on queue, Mrs. Pearl placed Elena's tray in front of her and lifted the lid revealing a delicious entrée of fancy pasta, chicken and vegetables that looked like heaven on a platter. She glanced over at Damon who had the exact same thing and was now filling up two glasses with the lovely red wine the hostesses had left for them.

"This looks delicious." Elena admired. "And it looks amazing. I don't even want to eat it, it looks so pretty."

"Well you have to eat it." Damon teased. "Mrs. Pearl and Anna would take it the wrong way and be very upset otherwise."

"Oh don't worry." Elena giggled as she picked up her fork. "I don't think a piece of this is going to go to waste." And she took a bite of the food and moaned in satisfaction.

"Good?" Damon asked, his voice husky from Elena's moans. She had no problem in turning him on and he found it very hard to control himself and think about anything other than what else she could do with her mouth...

"Delicious." She smiled, knocking Damon out of his erotic reverie.

God, how much things change, he thought silently. Just a few weeks-or was it months?- ago, she couldn't even sit around the same table with him. She couldn't even eat with him. Now, they were having dinner together like a normal, happy couple. It puzzled him greatly.

"Well I'm glad you think so." He replied. "Now I just have to take your word for it." He too took a bite and was about to tell her exactly how right she had been when he went into a major coughing fit. He picked up the handkerchief next to him and coughed into it harshly hardly able to catch his breathe. Finally, he stopped coughing and cleared his throat by taking a large sip of wine and swallowing eagerly.

"Damon?" Elena asked cautiously. "Did your food go down the wrong way?"

"Yeah, I think s-" But he was stopped by another coughing fit, this time it began to hurt his lungs and his throat. They felt like they were on fire, closing off. He drank more and more wine trying to quench his thirst and stop the flaming pain but it remained.

"Damon?!" Elena cried, jumping out of her seat and rushing by his side. "What is it, Damon?"

"I don't know." He managed to say before another cough took place. It took him by surprise so he shielded his mouth with his arm and noticed something on it. Looking at it, he gasped and gulped.

First, Elena looked at him weird before noticing what he was looking at. Then she too, gasped and covered her mouth with her hand not knowing how to react to the sight.

It was back. Damon's infection was back.

* * *

**AN: We're slowly making progress between the two. I personally, really enjoyed this chapter. Me and Amy (livebreathevampire) really hope you liked it as well :) **

**Reviews are love, xoxo**


	8. Chapter 7

**What lies Beneath**

**Chapter seven**

* * *

"No," Elena said in horror. "This can't happen…You healed, how can this happen?"

"Maybe it will stop," Damon panted in agony but managed to smile a little smile at Elena. "You don't have to worry your pretty little head about it, okay?"

"Damon, I have to help…" She argued but of course, his stubbornness kicked in. She didn't have much room to talk though.

"Elena, I just want you to sit down and finish your dinner," He said firmly but his hands were gentle as he sat her back on the chair. He pressed his lips on her temple. "I'll be fine."

Quietly, she bit down on the food, glancing at Damon every now and then. She could see that he was in agony, but there was nothing she could do about it. He just smiled reassuringly and continued to eat, trying to disguise the pain. Halfway through her roast, Elena stood up. "This is bullshit, Damon. I can't sit here and do nothing."

"Elena, there is nothing you can do." He told her, thought he was stating the obvious.

"Well, I cease to believe that," Elena snapped suddenly. "Maybe you didn't drink enough from me. Maybe you have to drink more."

"No," Damon said, "You already lost blood. I won't risk your life, Elena."

"Well, I trust you," She said firmly, taking off the bandage from her neck. "Drink from me. And don't stop until you feel like it's enough."

"That's the thing, Elena. Vampires consider it enough when the human heart stops beating. I won't risk that. I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't think you're like other vampires, then," She walked slowly towards him and she hesitantly reached out for his hand. "I owe you this much, Damon."

"Why do you feel the need to save me?" He asked her, caressing her face with the back of his knuckles.

"I don't even know," Elena whispered back. "I guess because you saved my life, and because you had every opportunity to hurt me and you didn't. I got to see the true you. The amazing you."

He smiled warmly at her. "I would never hurt you, Elena."

"I know that," Elena said, squeezing his hand. "But right now, I need you to drink from me."

Hearing the sincerity and insistence in her voice, Damon hesitantly reached out for her and pulled her on his lap. This took Elena by surprise, but she stood still and breathed calmly. She didn't have to be afraid, right? She knew it was pleasurable and not that painful.

Damon looked at Elena to see if there were any signs of disapproval, but he quickly found out that she was relaxing, sitting there on his lap. He placed a gentle kiss on the area that he was going to bite, and sunk his fangs inside her neck, slowly. This time, Elena moaned, encouraging Damon to continue drinking. Just when he thought that this woman can't drive him crazier than this, she placed her small hands on the back of his neck, stroking his skin lightly.

He pulled away from her and smiled. This time, he really felt fulfilled.

He gazed at her intensely, his lips aching to be on hers. But he couldn't move, no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn't be the one to initiate any intimacy between them. He saw her staring at him, and saw that she was probably waiting for him to make the first move, and he suddenly didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. This was all so screwed up, it didn't make sense at all. He was a vampire who only cared about himself and breaking the curse. Until a few months before, this seemed impossible because he knew that he wasn't capable of love and kindness. And then, this human girl shows up and lights up his world but confuses him greatly. He could feel himself falling for her everyday, and no matter how much he tried to intimidate her and try to act dominant, he knew that she made him weak. She saw right through him.

"For God's sake," Damon muttered under his breath, and without a second thought, he grabbed her face firmly, almost roughly, and crashed her lips onto his, deepening it until he feared that Elena was going to suffocate. He didn't know if there were any consequences for doing such a thing, but he didn't care. He needed her, needed her lips on his. She clung to him and he lifted her, moving until she had the wall as leverage. He planted kisses on her face, her cheeks, her neck and everywhere he could reach, then he let his tongue lick her throat and collarbone where he got awarded by the sound of her moans.

Not wanting to give in to any more desires, Damon gently released her and caressed her cheek. "I meant to do that for quite a long time, Elena."

"So did I, Damon," She whispered breathlessly.

* * *

"Do you really think he cares about her, mother?" Anna asked her mother as they cleared the table. "You just saw him feeding off her. Do you think it's about lust?"

"I believe in Damon, Anna," Pearl said. "We've been with him for so long now. He might've kept me here, but after all, he was the one who gave me a roof on my head when I turned up on his doorstep with you in my arms. You were just seven days old."

"I know, mother," Anna said. "You feel like you owe him."

"I want him to be happy," Pearl sighed. "I think he deserves that. And Anna, it's all I know. Here…it's safe. He takes care of us…we don't have to worry about being homeless or starving."

"I know. But I long to go outside, mama. I know that Damon allows me, sometimes, but I wish that I could be more free."

"Someday, we might," Pearl assured her. "Damon's not a bad man. He's just misunderstood and broken. Katherine's death devastated him."

"You're right, mama. I just wish that Elena can grant him happiness-and his human life back."

"I want that for him too. But it's not up to us now, Anna." She pulled her daughter into a hug and smiled-knowing that fate needed to take its own course for the curse to be lifted.

"Where do we go from here?" Elena asked as she lay in Damon's lap. They just stayed there for what seemed like ages, enjoying one another's company and getting lost in the flames of the fire in front of them.

"We go wherever you want to go from here." He told her as he stroked her long hair. It felt so silky and smooth between his fingers. It felt right in his hands. She felt right in his arms.

"I want this." She admitted. "Us, I mean... I just think we should focus more on your health and well-being first, you know?" She looked up and searched his face. She didn't want him to think she didn't want this because she did. Bad. But she was worried about him, she didn't know why he had gotten sick again. And they were still awaiting the results of her last 'blood donation' to see if he was better once and for all. If not, they had some serious trouble on her hands. But if he was, they had nothing to worry about and they could focus on whatever you would call it between them.

"I know." He nodded. "I feel better though, 'Lena. Really. I think there's a saying... 'second times the charm'? Or something like that." He chuckled slightly. "I think that's the case with me. I feel truly better."

"Well I'm glad." She smiled.

* * *

"AHH" Damon cried out in pain, abruptly waking from his sleep later that night. He and Elena had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the fire, curled up in each other's arms. Damon had tossed in his sleep, opened his eyes for a moment and noticed that they had fallen asleep. He gently picked Elena up and brought her to her room, laying her underneath the covers, tucking her in and kissing her goodnight before he too, made his way to bed.

He was practically snoring before his eyes had hit the pillow but overall he had felt pretty good. That was, until now.

His eyes shot open and he glanced to the reoccurring wound on his arm but still being half-asleep, he just stared at it for a moment trying to recover from the pain that woke up. He thought it was a dream when he glanced at his arm but when he closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again, he noticed it was still there. The wound was throbbing and oozing, it looked deeply infected. In fact, it looked worse now than it ever did.

He didn't know what to think of it-what to make of it. He had gotten bitten, been healed. It had come back, he'd been healed again and now it was back once more! Was this going to be a never ending cycle? The books said Gilbert blood was the cure; he had drank Elena's blood... twice but it still didn't seem to be working. It was as if it wasn't enough, it was as if, the healing was only temporary. Well, of course the healing was only temporary, he thought sarcastically in his mind. It had come. He couldn't think of anything that could give him a permanent cure. Maybe he needed a larger quantity of Elena's blood? But he didn't want to weaken her or make her feel like he was using her to heal himself. She had offered the first two times but he would never be the one to ask for it. He'd feel too demanding.

He got pulled out of his thoughts pretty quickly due to the sharp shot of pain that flowed through his arm, it felt like it was pulsing through his veins, the way blood should have, had he been 'alive'. He screamed in agony again as he cradled his arm. This time it didn't take any longer than twenty seconds for Elena to come barging into his room, looking like she'd seen a ghost.

"Damon!" She cried, making her way over to him. "What's the matter? Did you have a bad d-" She stopped her words midpoint before noticing his arm. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes flicked back and forth from his grotesque arm to his eyes until she locked eye contact with him.

Damon smirked trying to ease the mood a little seeing he knew she'd freak out. "I think it's time you look in the rest of those family books."

"This can't be possible."

"It can be." He corrected her. "And it is. I don't know what's wrong 'Lena, but something's messed up bad."

"How do you feel?" She asked, although she knew the answer already.

"Like shit." He exclaimed. "I feel like I have a fever. My arm feels like it's on fire."

"I'll figure it out!" She promised, feeling horrible for her blood not working. "Do you want me to go look right now?"

"Nonsense." He shook his head. "You go back to sleep and worry about it in the morning. I can suffer it out for a few more hours." But just after he got the words out, he yelled in pain again and Elena shot him a dirty look.

"Cause you obviously feel fine, right?" But she couldn't be mad with him, not right now. "Damon, please don't argue. I'm going to go look right now. I'll be as fast as I can and then I'll come back here and hopefully we can fix whatever is wrong."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"I'm positive."

* * *

Damon sat impatiently around the table in the library, trying to ignore the pain in his arm. He made a cup of hot chocolate for Elena and took a sip of bourbon as he breathed in and out, trying to stop himself from screaming. Elena was lost in the Gilbert books, her perfect lips pursed together in a firm line; her eyebrows furrowed.

"No, there has to be something else," Elena said in panic. "All these books say that Gilbert blood is the cure. Why isn't it working? What's wrong with me?"

"Hey, its ok," He hushed her, "Shh. Don't worry about me, Elena...If I'm meant to live, then I will live."

"I can't just stand by and do nothing..."

"Yes, you can. And you're going to have to."

She stood in front of him, wiping her tears away. His heart broke at the sight of this human girl, the girl that he had taken as a prisoner; crying for him. An innocent, pure human crying for him, a damned creature.

"Shh, it's ok," He enveloped her in a warm hug, her body close to his. He kissed the top of her head and was amazed at how much he grew to love this little, fragile girl. His plan had been to make her love him so that she could break the curse; but now he felt like he wouldn't survive without her. But did she love him? She had never said those words, even though she gave him every indication that she did. But yet again, if she did, he would be human by now.

He closed his eyes and sighed. The only solution was the witch that got him into this mess at the first place. He knew that he had to find her. She would be his only hope.

* * *

**AN:Thanks everybody for the positive feedback, I'm sorry I haven't personally thanked you all but I don't have time to PM everybody. With school, finals, I'm working two jobs, etc. **

**Me and Amy are really beginning to get into this story ourselves, we hope you feel the same way :) Let us know by leaving a review! xox**


	9. Chapter 8

**What Lies Beneath**

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

"I can't find anything about her Damon!" Elena cried, searching through books and anything else in the boarding house that contained possible valuable information. She was not taking any risks, she had to search through every little book, every paper, even.

"There has to be something, Elena." Damon croaked, his voice was very hoarse. It felt like he'd swallowed fire. "Shiela Bennett. From what I know, she's very popular and powerful. She couldn't have just disappeared."

"I'll keep looking." She promised, focusing all of her attention back to the old journals.

She would glance over at Damon every few moments just to make sure he wasn't dead... He was hardly making a sound, except for his harsh breathes every now and again. She hated to see him like this. The pain was on and off, and sometimes it got horrible. His face was constantly glistening with sweat along with his entire body. He was shaking uncontrollably as if he had pneumonia . She hated to see him in so much agony. And she was about to give up when she came across her last and only hope-the last journal. And she really hit the jackpot because when she opened it to the first page, it read_: Shiela Bennett_**. **She silently thanked whatever higher power there really was.

"Damon!" Elena exclaimed happily. "I've found it! It's her journal!"

"That's great." He smirked but barely. "But I don't understand why her journal would be here."

"Perhaps she wanted you to find it, eventually?" She suggested, not really knowing why the witch left it there either. "Oh, wait." She flipped the page and found the answer to their question. She read aloud so Damon could hear as well.

"_Damon Salvatore. You have come across my book whether it is sooner or later. It will really not make a difference. As you have probably discovered by now because you are a smart man-you are a vampire, thanks to me. I do not regret my decision nor do I apologize. _

_You deserve this, Damon. You should remember our conversation from that night. I told you why I did this to you. You needed to change and perhaps you still do. It all depends on how quickly you discover this. But I will know when the times comes... I will __**always **__be watching you somehow. I gave you an expiration date to this agreement, Damon. You have until the year two thousand and ten to change. And if you fail this simple task in what will be almost two hundred years of your life time then... then there is no hope for you, ever. And you will remain a monster for all etirnity._

You have plently of time, Damon but use it wisely. It will go by fast.

One last thing...

_I have no idea why I sort of graced you with immortality or certain supernatural powers, it came with the curse. So you will or already have realized that you are much more alert, stronger, faster, brighter and anything else you can think of has intensified. Anger, lust, hunger, grief, sadness... Any emotion is maximized, even love. If you ever feel it..._

_But with these perks come disadvantages. I made sure of that. Why would I want to award you? The daylight will turn you into a pile of ash. You will or have already discovered the sunlight burns your skin. You will get weak if you do not drink blood and there is another monster out there that has the ability to kill you. Werewolves."_

"Oh my god, Damon! She knows about the werewolves!" Elena felt confused about what she was reading but she was happy to read that.

"Keep reading." He urged. He was glad that Shiela didn't exactly say why he was cursed or what would break the curse. If she had, the moment Elena read it she would have thought he was using her for it to be lifted. Which was true, at first. But not after he realized how much he cared for her... how much he loved her.

She nodded and continued. There wasn't much left.

"_Your home is basically in the middle of nowhere. Barren and surrounded by forest. Dark creatures live in the forest, Damon whether it be bears, coyotes, or any other ferocious animal. Along with wolves and well werewolves. There were around for thousands of years but only go after one species... Vampires._

_Their bite would be fatal to you, could kill you within a few days to a few weeks but either way it would kill you. Your temperature would spike, you would be constantly sick, fatigue, dizzy. Any bad symptom from a cold or flu and it would possess you. There is one cure and one cure only for a werewolve bite and I have no idea why but it is the blood of a Gilbert._

_The Gilberts were one of the first families to reside in the area. It has been so long ago that I do not know the details but all I know is their blood is the cure. You may think a drink or two is enough and you will be cured. And you will, for a limited time. The bite mark will come back and you will return ill once again. The only way to truly be cured of a werewolf bite is to drain the Gilbert dry of all its blood. They would die and you would save your life. Remember that. It shouldn't be too hard for you to do, Damon with you being so cruel._

_Take your pick, Damon, let an innocent life live or die with the werewolf bite._

_Shiela."_

Both of their worlds came crashing down at the last couple paragraphs. Elena had to die to save Damon's life. Damon wouldn't let her do that, not in a million years. And Elena wouldn't let him die. Both were way too stubborn to come up with some kind of agreement but they didn't blame each other one bit. Neither wanted the other to die. They didn't admit it to each other but they both loved one another. If only Elena could say it out loud, Damon would survive AND return back to a human-his greatest wish.

Elena was only now having the courage to take her eyes off the journal and look into his. She was crying and he wasn't far from it, if he could. He was too weak to even shed a tear.

"Damon, we don't even need to talk about our options." Elena muttered.

"No, we don't. Because I am not letting you die for me." He whispered which was followed by a harsh cough.

Her eyes widened and the tears fell faster. "How can you say that? If I'm the only key to curing you, I'll gladly die for you! Don't you see that! I'm not letting you die!"

"And I'm not letting you die!" He raised his voice back at her which frightened her. She knew how sick he was and for him to actually use almost all of his energy by yelling at her... it was serious.

"Damon, you've been around far too long to just give up. There is only one more choice we have in this."

"And what's that?" He sighed, leaning back again the arm of the couch.

"You need to break the curse. I don't understand any word of what I read besides the werewolf stuff and I have a feeling you can't tell me but you might need to, Damon. I can help you break it." She grabbed his arm with good intention. She would help him if it was the last thing she did. She couldn't lose him. Not after what they shared.

"I can't tell you, Elena." He whispered. "I want to but I can't. God knows I wish I could. You need to figure it out yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean Damon? I have **nothing** to go by."

"It means exactly what I said." He gave her an apologetic look. "That's the most I can say. I'm sorry."

"Damon, don't you trust me?" Elena asked sounding almost hurt. His eyes widened, and despite the pain he shifted so that he could cup her face.

"God no, Elena don't think that." He said suddenly, shaking his head. "Of course I do, Elena. But I can't. It's complicated, Elena, but you have to trust me."

The girl shook her head, still looking hurt, however Damon cradled her in his arms. "I'm so sorry Elena, I know how much you are trying to save me. But I won't let you die for me. You have become too important to me, and I can't lose you," He said softly, stroking her cheek. "When you came here I had no idea that you'll become this special to me."

"I can't lose you either," Elena said, and she started to sob in Damon's arms. "Ever since you saved me I felt safe around you, and I knew that you would never hurt me."

"Shh, it's okay," Damon said, trying to ignore the pain in his entire body.

"Why did this have to happen? This is all my fault. If I had never tried to escape, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Elena, it is not your fault. It was me who frightened you, who threatened you. You were scared and I get that now." But she felt at blame. If she had any idea in the world that the outcome would have been this-her actions would have been drastically different.

She bit her lip, hesitantly. "You never told me what the flower meant to you."

He looked at her with warm, loving eyes. "It was given to me by Sheila when I turned. Every petal that the flower drops means that I had lost another piece of my humanity. If I don't break the curse before the last petal falls, I'll be a vampire forever."

"You don't want that, do you?" Elena asked him, looking at him with her little, brown eyes.

"No, I don't," Damon said. "There used to be a time where I enjoyed it. I enjoyed not being hurt; emotionally and physically, I enjoyed the satisfaction blood gave me and I enjoyed being the one in control, the one people feared. But then I grew lonely, and then Pearl came here, seventeen years ago, begging for a job and a place to stay because she had just given birth to Anna."

"And you still gave them shelter, even though you say you are a monster."

"I can't say that I've acted friendly with them. I kept them here like they were some slaves, because I feared that if I ever let them go even just around town, then they will leave." He admitted. "But know I know that that's not true. We're a family, in a twisted way." He half smiled thinking about how much they had done for him over the years.

"You're not a bad person, Damon. Sure, you could've been...nicer with them I guess; but tell me this...Anna grew up here. Did you ever hurt her as a child? Did you ever do something to make her suffer?" Elena just wanted to know everything there was. If he felt guilty about something, she wanted to take it away. She didn't want him to be holding on to anything because he felt bad.

"No. Never," He admitted, and it was true. When Anna was a child, even though there were no special bonds between him and her, he had never once hurt her. Not even accidentally fed on her.

"Then you're not the monster you think you are. I believe in you, Damon."

He sighed softly, feeling that he did not deserve the words this woman was giving him. The pain was slowly stopping now, but he knew that the pain was on and off, so he didn't get his hopes up.

"And I'm not going to let you die, Damon," Elena said. "I'll talk to Sheila Bennett. I'll beg her to cure you with magic. I'll do anything, Damon, anything to see you well."

"Shh, Elena, don't worry about me anymore," He said softly. "I've lived long enough. When this is all over, I want you to tell Pearl and Anna that they are free now. Tell them to take all my money, it's the least I can do. I never really did pay Pearl. And you...Elena, I want you to return back to your home. My house is yours-You can sell it or do whatever you want in it. But I don't want you to stay here and mourn. I want you to move on, okay?"

"Damon, nothing is going to happen, okay?" She said with frustration in her voice. "You can't leave me." She captured his lips with hers and held him tightly against her body. "Please don't leave me, Damon. I beg you."

"Shh, don't cry for me. I am not worth your tears."

"Yes, you are. You are," Elena said, kissing him passionately. "Please, Damon, just don't leave me."

In a moment, she found herself buried in the warmth of his arms, peppering his face with soft kisses. She moved to his lips and kissed him, and Damon could taste the love she was giving him. Why was she so scared to say that she loved him? He was sure that she did.

His arms went around her, and Elena looked at him, her eyes dark with lust. "Damon, I want you," She said, almost begging. "Please, let me have tonight."

He smiled at her, touching her face. "I'm all yours."

He gently picked her up and they moved to his bed. Despite the fatigue, Damon thanked god that the pain had minimized, and wasting no time, he spread kisses all over her body.

"It's been a while," He muttered against her lips.

She blushed a soft pink. "I have never..."

Damon's eyes widened in realization. Elena was a virgin; and she was giving this to him, out of all people.

"Elena...are you sure?" He knew how important this was to people like her-innocent and caring. They wanted to hold onto it and wait for the right person. And as if she had read his thoughts...

"Yes," She said, still a shade of red. "I've waited until the time was right. The time's right now, Damon."

He took his time in undressing her, constantly looking at her face to see if she had changed her mind. But he only got a genuine smile out of her, and the moment Elena unbottoned his t-shirt, he realized how much he had wanted this.

His kisses turned rougher, but still passionate. He was careful with her, and incredibly gentle. He had never been this gentle with someone in his entire life. After a nod from Elena, he unzipped her pants and with a gentle thrust he found himself connected with her, their bodies made one.

* * *

"I have done my research," Klaus Mikaelsen said in front of his men. "Caroline was right. Elena is in the Salvatore Mansion, right outside of town."

"The Salvatore mansion? I thought it was abandoned."

"We all thought that Zach Salvatore was the last Salvatore, but apparantly, we were wrong." He shrugged.

"So what is our plan? Caroline Forbes is stating that it is a monster. We can't just risk our men's lives," One of his friends said.

"We need to plan this carefully. But let me tell you something: Elena is rightfully mine. I will not let anyone take her from me."

* * *

**AN: Here's chapter eight. Sorry for the long wait. We've both had writer's blocks plus with school, Christmas holidays... we tried to update but it just didn't go that way and we're really sorry.**

**We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and A happy New Year. And we hope that this chapter was worth the wait, let us know by leaving a review :) **


	10. chapter 9

**What Lies Beneath**

**Chapter nine**

* * *

Damon trailed one finger on Elena's stomach, smiling happily at her. They were both naked, covered in sheets and sweat, and Elena's head was resting on his chest now. The night had been long and energy filled-they had both been like panthers for hours, exploring every inch of each other's perfect bodies apart from Damon's cut. But the energy expired and they-yes, even Damon; felt lazy and didn't want to move from beneath the comfy sheets. He was holding her now, caressing her back as he spoke.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her gently. He had tried to be as gentle as possible, trying to hurt her not more than necessary. He was concerned about her, he hated to be the one to cause her pain. But he knew that at first, the first time for a woman was always a little uncomfortable. However, her smile told him that she had enjoyed being with him.

"I'm okay, Damon," She smiled at him. "It's all been worth it. This…This was amazing."

"I'm glad," He whispered softly, kissing her passionately. "Being close to you made me forget the pain for a while. You're my life, Elena, you do realize that, don't you?"

"And you're mine," She breathed, snuggling even closer to him. "I'll help you, Damon. But right now I just want to feel the connection between us, the intimacy. I need you. I just want to stay here and inhale your scent. You smell divine. I just want to soak up all your amazing-ness." She giggled after realizing how cheesy that sounded but he responded by kissing her forehead softly.

He stroked her hair rhythmically, enjoying her warmth, her soft body against his. She was so little compared to him, yet she had the strength to destroy him in ways he never thought possible. If she ever left him, he'll be crushed. She was the only one who had that certain kind of power. But Elena would never leave him; he believed that she cared about him. He didn't know why she hadn't told him that she loved him yet, maybe it was because she's scared. After all, she was just a little girl-compared to how long he'd been alive anyway.

One thing he knew for sure was that he'd never let her die for him. If she wasn't going to say those three magic words, he'd have to die, but it was better than letting her die. He lived long enough, his time on Earth was beyond enough. He'd done the one thing he was supposed to. To love, and he felt it-more powerful than anybody had ever felt it. It hit him like a train going full speed but he wouldn't change it for the world, it felt amazing to share your existence with somebody; to care about somebody else. If she didn't say those curing words, he would die... and he was ready. Because he fulfilled his task. Love was indeed a great thing, and he learnt that he couldn't be selfish. He had lived enough, but she…She had barely started.

"What are you thinking?" Elena asked quietly.

"About us," He said, kissing her head.

She smiled at him. "Me too."

They laid there in each other's embrace, feeling comforted by the presence of the other. And that was enough.

* * *

"This is a map of the Salvatore boarding house," Klaus said to the townsmen pointing down at the table which held a large map. "There are several entries, about five, I believe. The main gate, which is located at the middle of the forest right outside of Mystic Falls, was usually supervised in the past, and since we don't know if the monster has any guards, I think we better go from the other entries as seen on the map."

"I agree," One of the men said. "What about weapons? We need weapons. Most probably we're going to have to fight. I don't think he'll give us Elena back without putting up one."

"I got it taken care of," Klaus said, "A friend of mine has created a variety of weapons for each one of us. However, I want to make sure that the monster is captured and kept alive, so that then we can kill him in front of the whole town, and the women will be on their knees, thanking us for saving our children." He smiled, liking the idea of being treated respectably.

"We can taunt the monster in the town square, and then Elena can be mine. She'll have to marry me, otherwise I'll threaten her too," He reasoned. "But she should. After all I, Klaus Mikaelson am rescuing Elena Gilbert, damsel in distress."

"Good," Another man said. "I like that idea."

"Have you checked if there are any more prisoners?" Another called out.

"I have no idea," Klaus said, "But we'll free everyone after the beast is captured."

* * *

Early in the morning, Anna knocked on Damon's door to serve him his daily breakfast, but turned beetroot red when she realized that Elena was in the same bed as Damon. Luckily for Anna, they were both dressed, though Elena's nightdress looked more like a shirt than a dress.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Anna said, blushing, her tray almost falling.

"It's ok, Anna, you didn't know," Damon said calmly and smiled at the young girl. Anna's eyes widened in disbelief. The old Damon would've roared.

"Ehm…yeah. You have a good breakfast, sir," She said, still red, serving him the tray with food, and then Elena's. "Enjoy your morning, Mr. Salvatore, Elena."

"Thanks, Anna." They both replied in unison.

Anna closed the door, surprised that Damon had actually thanked her.

"God that was embarrassing," Elena gasped, taking a bite of the well cooked bacon in some kind of barbecue sauce and a forkful of baked beans. God, the food here was good-Pearl woke up everyday baking bread, and it smelled delicious. She had to remind herself to later go downstairs and fetch herself a slice of the divine food.

Damon chuckled. "Yeah."

They sat next to each other, sipping their coffee and eating. They were fine until Damon started twitching in pain again.

"It started again…" Elena said, saddened.

"Yeah. It'll pass…Just stay here." Damon instructed her, and Elena removed the trays and held his hand as shots of pain went through him.

"I'll be fine…" He tried to convince them both, fearing that he might not pull through this time. "The pain is on and off, remember?" He forced a smile at her.

"Yeah," She said, trying to hold back her tears seeing him in pain. "Damon, I'll have to talk to Sheila. Do you know of any way I can contact her?"

"I don't know, Elena. She's dead, that I'm sure of…She's a spirit. She appears to me in my dreams sometimes. There is no way you can talk to her."

"No. There has to be a way," Elena said, "I'll find a way even if you don't approve."

"It's impossible, Elena. We have to accept my fate. We'll just have to wait and see," He reasoned, "And if I don't live, I want you to remember that you are the only woman that I've ever…" But he didn't get to finish the sentence. His voice turned into a coughing fit, and he started to throw up blood.

"Get away!" He warned her, using his vampire speed to vomit. "You're not safe here…I can hurt you…"

"I'm not leaving you," Elena said, watching him in such pain. The bathroom had turned red with all the blood, making Elena feel scared now, more than ever. "I'll always be here Damon, it's time for you to realize that."

He looked at her with sincere adoration. Who was this beautiful creature in front of him? And why was she so amazing and caring toward him? He was a blood sucker for Christ's sake... he didn't deserve her kindness but somehow he got it. And it felt fucking marvellous.

Unlike the way he felt right now, that is.

* * *

"We'll grab him when he least expects it!" Klaus roared earning viscous chants from his followers. "We'll throw him around, knock him and drag him back here! And you all know what to do when he awakes."

"Torture him!" One yelled out.

"Burn him bit by bit!" Another shouted.

"Ruin him!" One more cried which was followed by a series of bangs from the men's fists hitting off the wooden table their weapons laid upon.

"He's got another thing coming!" The British leader declared. "Toss him around a bit and make sure you save him for me. I want to be the one to do the most damage to the fucker."

They all grinned evilly, nodding.

* * *

"How are you feeling now?" Elena sweetly called from the kitchen. She was making Damon a nice hot cup of tea with honey and her blood(apparently the concoction together was exquisite) and it made him feel a little better so she asked no questions. He wouldn't take her blood by drinking from her anymore, since he said it wasn't too long since he had fed on her, but being the same stubborn Elena she decided to make a small cut in her palm, enough to place a few drops in the cup. He had noticed obviously, but he didn't push anymore, knowing how determined she was.

"It's subsided for now." He said quieter than usual. Fighting this sickness was taking a large chunk of his energy and he couldn't force himself to as much as sit up on the couch. He wasn't sick at the moment, but he was weak and tired. He hated feeling so weak-so powerless.

"You'll feel better once you get this in your belly." She entered the parlour and smiled at him. She was perfectly balancing a tray with two cups of tea on it. She placed it on the coffee table near him, and carefully offered him his special hot liquid.

"Thank you." He grabbed for the cup carefully with two of his hands, placing them atop of hers in the process. His blue orbs locked onto her brown ones and they shared one of those moments where your belly gets a tingling feeling and your heartbeat increases. He noticed hers immediately. "Your heartbeat's so fast."

"You make me feel things I haven't felt before." She was being completely honest, and she didn't care how many times she had to repeat herself. She wanted him to know that she felt something for him and cared for him. "You make me feel like a young teenager all over again."

"Why, do you have raging hormones?" She laughed. She loved how that despite his illness, he was still the same conceited, sarcastic and witty Damon.

"Something like that." She bit her lip and winked at him, removing her entangled fingers from his so he could actually drink his tea. "Drink." She insisted.

"Yes ma'am." He inhaled the sweet scent slowly before taking a large mouthful and sighing with satisfaction. "Delicious. Although you better stop biting your lip, or this tea is going to get very cold, very fast."

"Oh yeah?" She reached for her cup. It felt so warm and toasty on her hands as she drank the sweet liquid, sans blood. She felt her body temperature increase but she knew it wasn't from the tea. He could turn her on in an instant and from his last few words, he was already working his magic.

"Oh yeah." Came his reply along with the trademark smirk she loved. "You don't know how amazing you look when you do that, do you? Don't get me wrong... you always look amazing but when you bite your lip-it just does something to me." She could see his eyes darken. She could hear his voice drop and become huskier. She could hear the want and need in his voice and that caused her to painfully ache for him.

He looked at her lovingly, knowing that it was too soon to take her to bed again unless she completely felt okay by doing so. But as he looked at her he realized that she was thinking the same things.

Looking at him, she began to remember what he felt like, what their bodies felt like joined together... flashbacks of their clad, sweaty skin grinding against each other. She wanted him again, immensely. Doing the only thing she could think of at the moment, she bit her lip again.

Damon growled quietly. He greedily finished off his tea knowing he needed it. He set the cup aside and leaned in for his prey. Before she could see what was coming, his lips attacked hers viscously and she could instantly feel the swelling. He kissed her like his life depended on it and his tongue danced around her lips for entry, which he received instantly.

"Room. Now." Elena managed to breathe out and before she knew it, they were on top of Damon's bed in privacy.

He hovered above her, ravishing her with kisses everywhere from her forehead to her chest; tasting every piece of her skin. He would never get enough; he would never get sick of her.

The feelings she felt when he explored her body like that was exhilarating. The emotions you would see portrayed in a romantic movie or an erotic novel; Elena felt. Her body felt like it was going to explode with desire and need.

"You make me crazy." She panted just before his lips crashed onto hers again.

He removed their clothes in vampire speed and his intimate body part hung dangerously close to hers. "Let's see just how crazy I can really make you." And with one brisk thrust, just like that, he made her cry his name in sheer pleasure. It wouldn't be long and she would be screaming his name over and over...

Their primal instincts took over. There was nothing sweet and sensual about it, it was fast, hard and full of need. As well as their only way to express their feelings without speaking them. Both separately felt they weren't ready to express their feelings but little did they know just _how_ ready they actually were. If only they'd felt the feeling before, then they would recognize it. But it was foreign to both, still exploring it.

* * *

"Try not to listen dear." Pearl laughed as she prepared lunch.

"It's kind of hard not to." Anna passed her the bread. "She's so loud! Both of them. They need to get a room."

"They're in his room." The mother pointed out.

"You know what I mean."

"Don't complain, Anna. He deserves this. They're both exploring these new feelings and hormones. Damon is so much happier with her." Pearl said in a chiding voice, but smiling at her daughter.

Anna nodded in agreement. "Do you think that they'll fall in love?"

"I think they're already in love." Pearl smiled down at the peanut butter and banana sandwich she had prepared for Elena, knowing full well that after a probable power nap, she'd be bursting with hunger.

"Then why hasn't he turned human yet?"

"She needs to tell him that she loves him. I don't think she's ready for that yet."

"When will she be ready?"

"Why so many questions, dear?"

"It's not that I don't like Damon..." The younger woman began. "It's just; I want it to be just the two of us again, like old times. I want Damon to be better. I noticed how much he is changing. He actually thanked me this morning!"

"He is better, ever since he met Elena. These short few weeks have impacted him greatly, Anna. He's so much better of a person. Don't you see that?"

"Yes, I do."

"When our job here is complete, then things will return to the way they were." She looked at her daughter and smiled. "We owe Damon our help and kindness, Anna. He took us in without thinking and to this day, I still don't know what possessed him to do so. But it was fate, and we can't leave him on his own to break the curse. No matter how harsh he might've treated us, he never once hurt you when you were a baby, and he had every opportunity to. I think that keeping us here was the only way for the man to feel the company of others. That is just so lonely, and we can't blame him."

"You're right, mom. And Elena is the right person. I really like her."

"I do too." Pearl agreed, placing the sandwich in the fridge. "I think we all do."

* * *

Hours later, after two more cups of blood and honey tea for Damon and a peanut butter and banana sandwich for Elena, Damon's sickness overcome him again. She replaced the usual tea he drank with a super fruit blueberry tea that made him really tired. So he fell asleep nearly instantly, she couldn't blame him and was more than happy for him to finally get some real rest. His body was so exhausted.

But her mind wasn't. Her mind was reeling, knowing she had to do something. An idea popped into her crazy mind, a very bad idea. An idea that Damon would hate if he knew she even considered it. She couldn't imagine losing him and she knew that if she didn't die, that would very well happen. Damon wasn't going to like what she was going to tell him, because hell... there was a chance she wouldn't wake back up. But she had to try it. She'd do anything for him, and this seemed like the only option…

* * *

**AN: Hey all, sorry it's been a while since we've updated. My great grandmother passed away a couple weeks back and I didn't really have time to write and Amy had exams. We hope this was worth the wait and although we may not respond to every review because neither of us have the time anymore, we appreciate and read every single one of them.**

**xoxo**

**PS. Amy's started a new story :) LiveBreatheVampire in case you don't know her name. Elena's wakes up one day in the future, the very far future and none other than the famous Damon Salvatore finds her. It's not far along yet but it's quite a read so check it out :) **


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